In photo: PfR staff along with the DRRM chiefs from CAMANAVA-QC smile for the cameras
Representatives from the cities of Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela and Quezon City agreed to form the Malabon-Navotas-Tullahan-Tinajeros (MANATUTI) River Basin Alliance at the Stakeholders' Meeting held Tuesday, June 23, at the Balay Kalinaw Conference Hall in UP Diliman. The formation of the Alliance scales up the five cities' efforts to collectively address the common problem of flooding.
In photo: PfR staff along with the DRRM chiefs from CAMANAVA-QC smile for the cameras
Representatives from the cities of Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela and Quezon City agreed to form the Malabon-Navotas-Tullahan-Tinajeros (MANATUTI) River Basin Alliance at the Stakeholders' Meeting held Tuesday, June 23, at the Balay Kalinaw Conference Hall in UP Diliman. The formation of the Alliance scales up the five cities' efforts to collectively address the common problem of flooding.
The city disaster risk reduction (CDRRMOs) and environment and national resource officials (CENROs) were in attendance. Also present were representatives from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Office of Civil Defense – National Capital Region (OCD-NCR), Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (DENR), and the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
Organized by Assistance and Cooperation for Community Resilience and Development (ACCORD) and Philippine Red Cross (PRC), the meeting aimed to link together efforts and present scientific data to inform plans on flood risk reduction. A point highlighted during the meeting was cooperation across the riverbasin, as what happens upstream affect downstream areas. This was a key consideration when the riverbasin initiative was first broached. Barangay Potrero in Malabon, with support from ACCORD, approached PAGASA back in 2013 for technical assistance in developing an early warning system for floods.
This Stakeholders' Meeting builds on those efforts started two years ago, when PAGASA and city representatives first convened to discuss the scope of the Tullahan river basin and the status of the various flood early warning systems (EWS) set up across the riverbasin. They concluded that the EWS needed to be harmonized so that the warnings they give to people are much more accurate.
Yesterday, PAGASA presented the flood risk mapping results for the Tullahan, with areas vulnerable to flooding clearly identified. Seasonal forecast and climate projections affecting the river basin were also discussed to give local chief executives a view of the challenges they would face in the coming months and years. For their part, the city DRRMOs presented their current disaster risk reduction programs.
From the above-mentioned inputs, areas for improvement were identified. With the guidance of DILG and DENR, the municipal stakeholders present decided to formalize their existing collaboration into the MANATUTI River Basin Alliance. The Alliance would also be integrated into the Manila Bay Coordinating Office (MBCO) – MANATUTI Cluster.
Merdi Jean Arcilla, Partners for Resilience Project Director of ACCORD, noted that "the tenets of good governance dictates that we address the vulnerability to flooding of thousands of people living along the MANATUTI River Basin. We are grateful to work with like-minded LGUs and national agencies on this, especially now that the rainy season is coming."
