House summons dam, LGU officials

The House of Representatives has summoned officials of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) and local executives in Cagayan and Isabela for its inquiry on the cataclysmic flooding that submerged the two provinces and parts of Metro Manila and Rizal during the onslaught of Typhoon Ulysses last week.

- EDU PUNAY

Quezon Rep. Wilfrido Mark Enverga, chairman of the committee on agriculture and food, confirmed that they have invited NIA officials to the hearings that will start on Nov. 24 to determine the cause of the severe flooding attributed partly to the release of water in Magat Dam.

“We want to get the facts straight. The problem from the local perspective of our colleagues here was that there was no advisory given about the release of the water from the dam. But NIA claimed otherwise. So we want to get the real picture of what happened, to see who is responsible, and if there’s any negligence that we find, then we will act on it,” the lawmaker told reporters at the virtual weekly forum of the House.

“We want to see what really happened. We want to see the reports on releases on water,” Enverga explained.

He said the panel would determine if NIA officials did their part and were responsible enough to follow protocols on the release of water from the dam.

Enverga said local government officials were also invited to the hearing as the panel seeks to look into their actions and if they received all necessary information before and during the onslaught of the typhoon.

He said officials of other relevant agencies were also invited, saying there could be several other issues to be discussed during the hearings.

He said the panel could also tackle the issue on media coverage after some local officials cited the lack of media reports about the impending catastrophe following the shutdown of broadcast giant ABS-CBN due to the decision of the House not to renew its legislative franchise last July.