J M
- He stated that it would be “good” if the President focuses on the Sierra Madre and Magat Dam.
- The late Gina Lopez also called for the rehabilitation of the Marikina Watershed but was rejected by the government.
Television host Kim Atienza gave his “two cents” regarding President Rodrigo Duterte’s request that the logging and mining activities in Cagayan be investigated.
On his Twitter account, Atienza wrote that Cagayan was flooded because of the Magat Dam’s water release and the flooding in Rizal was caused by the mining and logging of the Sierra Madre.
“The flooding in Cagayan was because of the Magat Dam opening its gates to release water. Mining and logging were the cause of the denudation of the Sierra Madre causing flooding in Rizal. It would be good if the Prez focuses his attention there,” he said.
My 2 centavos. The flooding in Cagayan was because of the Magat Dam opening its gates to release water. Mining and logging were the cause of the denudation of the Sierra Madre causing flooding in Rizal. It would be good if the Prez focuses his attention there. Good Morning. pic.twitter.com/fJK3rABbRl
— kim atienza (@kuyakim_atienza) November 15, 2020
In a post in 2017, the late Gina Lopez also pointed out a project that can help lessen the natural disasters in Metro Manila. She wanted to rehabilitate the Marikina Watershed as it can be the surrounding cities’ first line of defense against flooding.
“It is important that we rehabilitate this watershed because it is the first line of defense of Marikina, Quezon City, Antipolo, Pasig, Cainta, San Mateo, etc., against rainwater surging from the uplands of Luzon,” she wrote in one of her posts.
“QUARRYING IS ILLEGAL BECAUSE IT IS IN A WATERSHED!!!!!! IT SHOULD NOT BE THERE BECAUSE IT WILL CAUSE FLOODING IN METRO MANILA!!!!!! I was shocked to see it… As long as there is quarrying there and the Marikina Watershed is denuded, the Pasig River water will be brown!! And it will become more and more shallow – and it will cause flooding in Metro Manila! It is imperative that the Marikina Watershed is reforested!!!!!”
However, the Commission on Appointment rejected her as Secretary of DENR and the philanthropist was not able to fight for her idea as she was also battling cancer at that time.
She passed away on August 19, 2019.
