Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 9) — The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) on Wednesday said it releases water from dams depending on the data provided online by the state weather bureau on the amount of rainfall.
\”We access po yung information through website po yun…so ‘yun yung binabasehan po namin,\” NIA Region III Regional Manager Josephine Salazar told a joint committee hearing at the Senate on the flooding situation in Metro Manila.
[Translation: We access the information through the website…so that’s our basis.]
Salazar’s explanation was in response to Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva inquiry on NIA’s protocols in opening dams to release excess water during nonstop rains.
The senator noted that someone should be feeding information to NIA when it comes to releasing water from dams.
\”So do you think it would help if PAGASA calls you and say, ‘You know the magnitude of rainwater is not the usual rainwater that we will be experiencing?’\” Villanueva asked.
But Salazar replied: \”There’s no communication as such.\”
The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee earlier called out NIA to explain the massive flooding in Bulacan due to the alleged unannounced release of water from Bustos Dam.
