Following the unprecedented flooding caused by the of typhoon Ulysses, the Cagayan Valley Regional Development Council  (RDC II) met on 01 December 2020 in Ilagan City, Isabela to discuss the region’s measures to prevent future flooding.

The region’s local chief executives (LCEs) gave their individual account and assessment on the recent flooding.  Isabela Governor Rodolfo T. Albano III mentioned that a similar flood control system in Ilocos Norte should also be constructed along the Cagayan River.  Cagayan Governor Manuel N. Mamba reiterated the need to dredge the river which is already heavily silted that it rapidly swells and inundates the nearby towns during the rainy season.

Believed to have largely contributed to the flooding in multiple towns in Cagayan and Isabela, the LCEs grilled the NIA-MARIIS representatives on the protocol in the dam discharge and management of the Magat Dam. It can be recalled that the Magat Dam also opened all seven floodgates and dumped more water to the already swelling Cagayan River. The PAG-ASA reps also apprised the Council on how to interpret the various flood and rainfall warning systems issued by the weather bureau. In turn, the LCEs requested the PAG-ASA to revisit its communication procedure to ensure that the LCEs are immediately informed of impending disaster.

As a result, the Council agreed for the creation of task groups (TGs) focusing on flood mitigation. The task groups will be responsible in consolidating existing studies, conducting further analysis, and recommending priority programs and projects for short-term and long-term solutions. Results of the Task Group-study will be presented to the RDC for approval and endorsement this December 2020.

The meeting was a joint undertaking of the RDC, RDC Advisory Committee (AdCom), Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) and Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCALC). It was attended by the respective Chairpersons, namely, RTF-ELCAC Chair and Department of Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III, RPOC2 Chair and Cagayan Governor Manual N. Mamba, and RDC2 Chair Albano III.

The RTF-ELCAC and RPOC meetings were conducted in the morning with the discussion on updates in the RTF Clusters, peace and order situation, insurgency, and anti-illegal drugs campaign updates in the region. Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, and Cabinet Secretaries Arthur P. Tugade (DOTR), Roy A. Cimatu (DENR), Wendel E. Avisado (DBM) and Mark A. Villar (DPWH) joined the Council in the afternoon and affirmed the national government’s commitment and support to the ongoing recovery efforts.