NIA Chief: Release Of Water From Magat Dam Did Not Cause Cagayan Flooding; Illegal Logging, Mining Blamed

Officials pointed to illegal logging and mining as the primary causes of the unprecedented flooding in Cagayan and Isabela provinces during the onslaught of Typhoon Ulysses almost two weeks ago.

During the inquiry conducted by the House committee on agriculture and food and special committee on North Luzon quadrangle, National Irrigation Administration chief Ricardo Visaya explained that the NIA’s release of water from Magat Dam was not the major cause of the flooding in the two provinces but rather the water level at Buntun Bridge.

“It’s very clear that the contribution of Magat Dam was not really the major cause of flooding in Cagayan. We have to look into the other factors. If we only implemented the (laws against) illegal logging, illegal mining and illegal quarrying activities, maybe we could have prevented that,” he told lawmakers during the inquiry on Tuesday, Nov. 24.

The retired military chief presented to the joint panel a comparative analysis of water levels in the dam and the bridge during Ulysses and previous typhoons.

In the presentation, Visaya said that during Typhoon Emong in May 2009, Magat Dam’s maximum water discharge was at 8,068 cubic meters per second (cms), while the water level at Buntun Bridge in Tuguegarao City reached 9.82 meters.

During a monsoon event in November 2010, he noted that Magat Dam released a maximum of 1,351 cms, which was lower than what was released during Typhoon Emong.

Visaya recalled that the water level at Buntun Bridge at the time reached 12.70 meters, which was higher compared to the onslaught of Emong even with the lower water discharge from the dam.

When Ulysses battered the country, Magat Dam released 6,706 cms, lower than when Emong hit. But the water level at Buntun Bridge reached 13.2 meters, which was higher than the previous typhoons.

“Now, can we draw a conclusion from this matrix? Yes. Is it really Magat Dam that provides or is the major cause of the flooding in Cagayan? I don’t think so,” Visaya argued.

Visaya also pointed out that Magat Dam contributes only 15 percent of the water in the entire Cagayan River basin.

He said Magat River is more than 130 kilometers away from Cagayan’s capital Tuguegarao, which means water discharged from the dam would take 20 to 24 hours to reach the city.

“Even if we immediately released water, it would not reach Tuguegarao City that quick,” he added.

Visaya also insisted that they were not remiss in their duty to announce the release of water from the dam, saying the NIA had repeatedly informed the public and the local government officials of the impending release of water.

Isabela Rep. Tonypet Albano, vice chairman of the committee on agriculture and food, believes that the flooding in his province could be attributed to illegal logging in Sierra Madre.

In the same hearing, Albano asked why the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has failed to stop illegal logging and mining activities in areas surrounding Cagayan River.

“Why is it that the DENR has barely arrested illegal loggers? We are the ones being blamed because no matter how we fight against these illegal activities here in Congress, the concerned agencies have not been acting on it,” Albano said.

In response, DENR Region 2 director Gwendolyn Bambalan explained that the department has already coordinated with law enforcement agencies to address the matter.

She told the lawmakers that the DENR has also formed a regional environmental enforcement task force against illegal logging.

Albano asked Bambalan to submit to the probe panel a report from the task force.

At the start of the hearing, Speaker Lord Allan Velasco said the legislative inquiry intends to determine the causes of the unprecedented flooding in the two provinces.

 “One reason is climate change, but we want to find out if the actions by concerned agencies were proper. We want to come up with measures to prevent this incident from happening again,” the Marinduque congressman stressed.

Blood in their hands

Mayors who are protecting illegal mining and logging have "blood" in their hands and may face criminal charges, Malacañang – through presidential spokesman Harry Roque – said on Tuesday.

According to Roque, illegal logging and mining have caused much damage in Cagayan.

"(Interior) Secretary (Eduardo) Año is conducting an investigation and depending on the final results of the investigation, the mayors may be removed from their posts and they may also face criminal charges," Roque said in a press briefing.

"You have seen the damage caused by illegal logging and illegal mining especially in the province of Cagayan. You will have blood in your hands if you protect illegal miners and illegal loggers," he added.

Roque said mayors should enforce the law and should not use their position to advance their business interests.

Earlier, Año revealed several mayors are allegedly involved in illegal logging and mining operations in their towns as the department ordered a crackdown on violators of environmental regulations.

Año said there were cases wherein mayors either directly or indirectly benefited from illegal mining and logging.

“There were instances like that, but not all (mayors). There are those who aren’t directly involved, but they know of their existence,” Año said in a radio interview, referring to the illegal activities that have been partly blamed for recent massive flooding.

“Maybe (operators of these illegal activities) funded their (mayors’) campaigns or supported their candidacies,” Año added.

Catastrophic flooding, landslides and other calamities spawned by the recent typhoons have again directed government attention to illegal logging, mining and other activities that violate environmental regulations as they have been blamed for major damage and casualties.

While Año did not say what the government would do about the alleged hand of local officials in the illegal activities, he implored the public to take the elections seriously.

“Our citizens need to learn and vote for those who are serious and have no connections to anything illegal. We need to pick, otherwise we would be experiencing these things over and over again,” he said.

Año also ordered all local governments and police nationwide to start a crackdown on illegal logging and quarrying, and expedite tree-planting operations.

“The flooding brought by Typhoon Ulysses is a harsh reminder that we are failing at doing our level best to protect the environment, especially our remaining forest cover,” he said in a statement.

The interior department’s order requires local leaders and police to reactivate local anti-illegal logging task forces and reminds mayors to conduct upland monitoring against illegal logging and other forms of forest destruction.

Officials also ordered the setting up of police checkpoints to hamper the operations of illegal loggers.

Police were directed to arrest illegal loggers, who can be criminally charged for violating the Forestry Code of the Philippines (Presidential Decree No. 705) and Republic Act No. 9175 or the Chainsaw Act of 2002, among others.

“It is imperative that we must stop the wanton destruction of our remaining forest resources not only for our sake but also for future generations who will suffer the consequences of our inaction,” he said.

Año also urged all local governments to deploy more forest guards and for the DENR to deploy more foresters to monitor the country’s forests and engage local communities and civil society organizations in reforestation programs.