While more than two millions of our “kababayans” have yet to recover from the devastation of Ondoy and Pepeng, another weather disturbance has been spotted by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). Lupit, a tropical storm, is its international name. I just hope it is not an indication of portent of things to come.

Pray not, pretty please!

Locally, though, its code name is Ramil. Except for following the Filipino alphabet, I don’t really know the other considerations PAGASA takes in naming weather disturbances.

For clarity, let me share with you some information tidbits.  A weather disturbance is classified as tropical depression if it maintains maximum sustained winds of not more than 63 kilometers per hour (kph). If it crosses over the 64 kph up to 117 kph, then it is a tropical storm as Ramil is classified as I write this piece to meet my weekend deadline.

And, finally, if the maximum sustained winds hit 118 kph, then it is a typhoon. Anything over it, the superlative of super is added for precautionary measures.

Water All Over

Whether it’s a tropical depression, a storm or a typhoon, it could be taken to mean more water. And, this, unwittingly, could further exacerbate the heartbreaking situation of our “kababayans” down there in Pangasinan, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan and Baguio, the country’s mountain resort.

These provinces are still mired in floodwater caused by the substantial amount of water unleashed from five nearby dams at the height of Pepeng. The sorry state of the people living in places that have been directly hit by the rampaging water—the loss of lives, properties, and the trauma —may have goaded the local government officials to consider filing a class suit against the management of the dams.

It’s a case of an LGU (local government unit) fighting a GOCC (government owned and controlled corporation).

Interesting!

Damn If You Do, Damn If You Don’t

To be more specific, let’s take the case of the San Roque dam, which has released more than 5,000 cubic meters of water per second. The enormity of the water unleashed overwhelmed the Agno River, which eventually resulted in the breaking of the dikes or levies. The ensuing scenario was devastation.

Flashfloods all over... several towns in Pangasinan—Rosales, Villasis, spilling over to Tarlac even as far as Calumpit, Bulacan were inundated.

Officials say the release of water was too sudden that the people of the towns affected panicked and were not much prepared for the massive floods. Atty. Edna H. Batacan, formerly with the Office of the Ombudsman and now practicing lawyer, says the lawmakers who are now conducting inquisition on whether or not the management of San Roque dam have to determine if “a strict protocol required by the regulations in opening its gates” were followed.

Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes, on the other hand, wants a detailed report on the issue from National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR) president Froilan Tampinco. But, is it that NAPOCOR has supervision over the San Roque dam, officially known as San Roque Power Corp. (SRPC.)?

Domestically incorporated, SRPC is majority owned by the Marubeni Corporation at 75 percent and Kansai Electric Power Co. Ltd. at 25 percent. The ownership structure, though, of both Japanese firms, is in accordance with the Corporation Code of the Philippines and the Foreign Investments Act (FIA) of 1991.
The FIA allows the entry of foreign corporations in utilities such as power generation. Since May 1, 2003, SRPC owns and operates the power generating facilities for 25 years, after which their ownership transfers to NAPOCOR.     

As it stands, the energy officials, the management of both NAPOCOR and San Roque dam are in hot water. But, can you imagine what the situation would be like should they opt to hold on to the water that has been building up.

Elementary physics tells us that a container will burst depending on the heaviness of the weight it holds. In this case, the rainfall was such that the water was brimming already.  The San Roque dam will burst, bringing much more devastation to affecting more people and damaging billions of pesos more of properties.

Clearly, it is a case of damn if you do, damn if you don’t.

‘Til our next filibustering.

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