President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. ordered that a swift, short-term repair to the Tangos-Tanza Navigational Gate at Navotas be made in order to stop up the water running from it, as it is causing serious floods in the city and in surrounding areas.
"Patingnan muna ng mabuti para maayos natin, kahit pang-remedyo lang, temporary, saka natin balikan pag medyo bumaba na 'yung tubig, and let's see what really we can do," the President told government agencies on Thursday, July 25.
("We should have someone take a good look at it so we can fix it, even just as a temporary remedy, and then when the water subsides we'll come back to it, and let's see what we can really do.")
Flooding in three barangays in Navotas and five in Malabon cannot be avoided, said Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Acting Chair Romando Artes, as repairs to the gate require that it be open.
Marcos insisted that the MMDA and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) have an engineering assessment, after having been told that the gate has been open for two weeks.
The Tangos-Tanza Navigational Gate would have mitigated the flooding at Navotas and nearby cities, as it had done during Ondoy, said Navotas Representative Toby Tiangco on Wednesday, July 24.
