MMDA sets up command center in Marikina

MANILA, Philippines - The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) set up a command center in Marikina City yesterday as a staging point for relief and clearing operations for flooded areas in Metro Manila adversely affected by storm “Ondoy.”

MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando said the command center would be located at the back of the city hall of Marikina.

Fernando said he chose Marikina as a staging point since most of the flooded areas are located on the eastern side of Metro Manila.

Officials pointed out that some three million residents in Metro Manila and nearby provinces had been affected by Ondoy. Apart from Marikina, among the hardest hit by the flooding is Pasig City and Cainta, as well as other towns in the nearby province of Rizal.

The MMDA has deployed some 500 workers and heavy equipment for the massive cleanup drive.

“They belong to the Roadway Clearing Operations Group (RCOG), Sidewalk Clearing Operations Group (SCOG), and MMDA Rescue. Around 70 equipment, such as pay loaders, backhoes, tow trucks, dump trucks, ambulances and other vehicles are owned by the MMDA and those lent by private companies are now also based at the command center,” Fernando said.

Fernando said the MMDA has prioritized the cleanup of Barangays Nangka and Malanday in Marikina.

He said the MMDA teams have been tasked to clear the secondary roads of stalled vehicles and garbage already piling up in the city streets.

“Concerted cleanup effort is also given to the City Hall so that city government employees can go back to work tomorrow and deliver much needed service to the public. We have put up this command center so we can speed up the fielding of personnel and equipment to areas that needed priority,” Fernando said.

MMDA special operations director Ramon Santiago said the cleanup operations in Marikina are a “lifeline of restoration.”

Santiago said the clearing of the roads and other public facilities such as the market and city hall is essential. 

Santiago said the MMDA is also coordinating with local authorities to facilitate delivery of basic services and relief efforts.

“The MMDA cannot start cleanup operations in various areas such as Pasig, Taguig, and Muntinlupa City as most of them are still submerged in flood. We have to wait for the floodwater to recede. Otherwise, our efforts will go to waste,” Santiago said.

Santiago stressed Marikina was the hardest hit among the cities in Metro Manila as 70 percent of the city is still submerged even a week after Ondoy struck.

“There were only select areas flooded in other cities like Quezon City. And that being the case, its local government was able to handle the problem, Santiago said. 

But in the case of Marikina, Santiago said the resources of the city government were also damaged by floods, he said.