Has Laguna province learned the lessons from past floods?
That would be the quickest conclusion from the response given out by the local governments in Laguna province to the sudden deluge brought by monsoon winds, enhanced by typhoon “Carina” (international name “Gaemi”) last week, as well as the fact that the province wasn’t as badly affected by the rains as Metro Manila was.
Low casualty rates
Surprisingly, despite fears that the same deluge that turned parts of Metro Manila and nearby provinces into “waterland” would also hit Laguna province hard, last week’s rains caused far less damage than what was thought of by the local government units.
Flooding was reported at the barangays of Landayan and San Antonio in San Pedro City, as well as in the barangays of Dela Paz, Malaban, San Antonio, Santo Domingo and San Jose in Biñan City, but these floods caused relatively little damage, according to local officials.
However, the most serious incident reported was at Carmen Homes, an exclusive subdivision in Barangay San Antonio, San Pedro City, last Tuesday, July 24.
A retaining wall beside a creek broke due to heavy rains, causing parts of the village to be submerged in waist-deep floods and forcing some residents to be evacuated.
“May sampung pamilya po na inilikas natin sa clubhouse ng Carmen Homes; iyon po ang inactivate na evacuation center ng City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) at ng Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Committee ng San Antonio,” Nico Pavino, head of the San Pedro City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (CDRRMO), reported to OpinYon Laguna. “Yung iba naman pong mga residente, nag-stay either sa mga hotel o sa mga kapitbahay nila na hindi naapektuhan ng pagbaha.”
In Biñan City, too, flooding at low-lying areas, particularly in the barangays of Casile, Malaban and Dela Paz, receded in a matter of just a day or two, according to Marie Bonacua, head of the Biñan CDRRMO.
This was in stark contrast to the situation during typhoon “Paeng” in 2022, when it took months for the floods in these barangays to recede.
As of July 25, San Pedro City recorded a total of 39 families evacuated at Barangay Landayan, an additional 16 families who were housed at the evacuation center in Barangay Rosario, 10 in Barangay San Antonio, and two in Barangay Laram, while Biñan City reported 210 individuals housed at seven evacuation centers across the city.
Cleanup efforts
Both Pavino and Bonacua credit this outcome to the ongoing efforts of the cities of San Pedro and Biñan to clean up their waterways, especially the main rivers that flow out to Laguna de Bay.
“More on flood control ang ginawa ng ating office of the City Mayor and the rest of the LGU, department heads and particularly yung engineering at yung mga Linis Bayan at Linis Ilog volunteers. Kasama na rin po ang ginagawa nating mga pagtuturo lalo na sa sa mga barangay upang panatilihing malinis ang ating mga ilog,” Bonacua told OpinYon Laguna.
In San Pedro City, the city government received added assistance from an unusual source: the San Miguel Corporation (SMC), which has conducted free dredging operations at the San Isidro River since last year.
Data provided by the San Pedro LGU to OpinYon Laguna showed that at least 407,019 cubic meters of silt and solid waste had been removed from the San Isidro River as of July 22 due to the dredging operations conducted by SMC.
“Salamat sa tuluy-tuloy na dredging ng San Miguel, hindi po umabot sa orange level ang San Isidro River ngayong taon, di tulad noong bagyong 'Paeng' na nag-overflow ang ilog," Pavino noted.
Role of barangays
Pavino and Bonacua also credited the low casualty rate to the speedy action and coordination between the local government and the barangays affected by the monsoon rains.
“Handang-handa po yung ating mga barangay DRRMO at volunteers po natin sa pagresponde sa sitwasyong ito, lalo na po’t nababaan na po natin sila at naturuan ng kung ano po ang kailangan nilang gawin sa panahon ng habagat,” Bonacua told OpinYon Laguna.
Pavino also noted that as far back as Sunday, July 21, the CDRRMO had coordinated with the BDRRMOs of the affected barangays to activate their disaster response.
“Nagkausap na po kami ng mga barangay noon pang Sunday, consistent kami ng kamustahan at monitoring so natanggap na po natin yung reports. Kaya po nung iniulat na po yung nangyari sa Carmen Homes, ready na po tayo na magdeploy ng search and rescue teams para rumesponde sa sitwasyon doon,” he reported.
Improvements
Even as CDRRMO heads in Laguna province expressed their relief at the low casualty rate due to typhoon “Carina,” Pavino noted several areas where the San Pedro city government can improve its disaster response.
Aside from coordinating with the homeowners’ associations of Carmen Homes and South Fairway Homes in Barangay Landayan for infrastructure improvements, the San Pedro CDRRMO head said his agency is now investing in other technologies to improve its capabilities.
“We are now waiting po na ma-bid yung Phase 2 ng ating city disaster risk reduction projects. Doon na po papasok yung mga technology gaya ng cameras na may water sensors, quality monitoring, facial recognition, license plate recognition, and we hope na magkaroon na rin po tayo ng local weather station for our Command Center,” he explained.
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