House inquiry on massive Carina, Habagat flooding set

A congressional inquiry on the massive flooding that submerged parts of Metro Manila due to Carina-enhanced Habagat will be conducted next week, a House leader said Thursday.

Manila lawmaker Rolan Valeriano, chairman of the House Committee on Metro Manila Development, said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) as well as the MMDA will have to explain why such tremendous flooding occurred despite programs in place.

"We should have been prepared for this. Always expect the worst. Our benchmark should be super typhoon Ondoy in 2009, Yolanda in 2013.., It is expected that the Committee members, whose areas were the ones devastated by Typhoon Carina, would actively participate to seek explanation from relevant government agencies on the hearing to be conducted on July 31, Wednesday," Valeriano said in a statement.

"We need to hear long-term plans of these agencies. What we need is to prevent this calamity from happening over and and over," Valeriano added.

In addition, Valeriano said he expects the Department of Social Welfare and Development to provide information on relief efforts during the inquiry.

The Metro Manila Council earlier placed the National Capital Region (NCR) under a state of calamity due to massive flooding.

Typhoon Carina, which is now outside of the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR), weakened further on Thursday as it crossed Taiwan but Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 remained hoisted over Batanes. —VAL, GMA Integrated News