THE Metropolitan Manila Development
Authority (MMDA) yesterday cleared itself from any liability
in the death of three persons after a wall collapsed on them
at the height of a flashflood in Barangay Commonwealth, Quezon
City last week.
MMDA general manager Robert Nacianceno said the accident was
beyond their control and could not have been caused by the road-widening project
along Commonwealth.
Rio and Mark Ricafuente died after being buried by a heavy
load of concrete and boulders from the wall that caved in due to strong rains
and the accompanying floodwaters. A third fatality identified as Ireneo Santiago
died in hospital later.
The victim’s families blamed the wall’s collapse on the MMDA,
saying that loose gravel from the MMDA construction site could have blocked the
waterway where the five-foot deep floods could have exited. They said they are
studying the prospect of suing the agency.
Baltazar Melgar, director of the MMDA flood control and
sewerage management office (FCSMO), said the area where the victims were
drinking liquor and where the wall collapsed had earlier been classified by the
MMDA as a danger zone, making it illegal for anyone to construct any structure
or use the site for recreation of residential purposes.
Melgar said the MMDA’s road-widening project along
Commonwealth had nothing to do with the rush of floodwaters to the area. He said
the accident site is where floodwaters normally exit on their way to Tullahan
River which is why the MMDA had long been prohibiting construction of any
structure in the said area. "Subalit likas yata na may taong matitigas ang ulo
kaya nang maganap ang sakuna ay ang MMDA naman ang kanilang sinisisi.’
MMDA Traffic Operations Center (TOC) executive director
Angelito Vergel de Dios denied claims that as part of the MMDA’s Metro Gwapo
project, portions of major rivers, canals, drainage systems and other major
waterways in the area were covered and this caused the heavy rush of floods to
the area.
"It’s very unfair to blame us for the incident. It’s very clear that the
accident occurred in a danger zone. The MMDA has always made it clear that the
building of any structure in the area is not allowed – through television, radio
and newspaper announcements, and even through personal visits by MMDA
representatives. The people there thought they were safe enough with a concrete
wall, now some of them are saying that we are washing our hands of the incident;
that’s so unfair," an irate De Dios said in Filipino. – Ashzel Hachero
