President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said miscommunication between dam operators and local government units on the release of dam water caused the massive flooding that affected Metro Manila on Wednesday.

Mr. Marcos presided over a situation briefing on the effects of super typhoon “Carina” and the enhanced southwest monsoon on Thursday. At press time, 14 people have been confirmed to have died due to the rains and flooding.

The President said he had warned all government agencies to ensure that communities near dams and water reservoirs were warned and evacuated before any release of water, especially in Luzon.

He admonished the dam operators and local government units for their failure to strictly enforce dam protocols to prevent flooding and ensure public safety.

“We have a weakness there, in communication, when opening the dam, when it overflows, the downstream communities need to know,” Marcos said. “You give them as much as, say, three hours, maybe that’s enough, four hours.”

He said timely communication and coordination between the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), the Department of Energy (DoE), and local government units (LGUs) were important.

Notification window

He proposed extending the notification period for downstream communities to ensure adequate preparation time.

Valenzuela City continued to experience severe flooding, with some areas inundated up to chest deep, following the overflow of La Mesa Dam on Wednesday.

Also on Thursday, Ipo and Binga dams in Bulacan and Benguet, respectively, opened their floodgates while the Carina-enhanced habagat was dumping heavy rain across Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon.

In response to the widespread flooding, Metro Manila, as well as the provinces of Bataan, Bulacan, Batangas and Cavite, were put under a state of calamity.

Local authorities in Valenzuela reported on Wednesday evening that 4,839 families or 18,868 individuals, had taken shelter in 68 evacuation centers.

Marcos, the following day, conducted an on-site inspection and visited flood affected residents in the city.

Accompanied by several Cabinet members, the President traveled by truck through the flooded McArthur Highway in Barangay Malanday. He proceeded to Malanday National High School where he met with evacuees and distributed aid to 352 families, or 1,629 individuals.