Marcos visits evacuees in Las Piñas displaced by monsoon

Following continued heavy rains brought by the southwest monsoon, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. checked on 155 families at an evacuation center in Las Piñas City on Tuesday, Aug. 11.

Marcos visited the Verdant Covered Court in Barangay Pamplona Tres, where he and Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian distributed relief goods to the families, as well as toys to children.

Residents were prompted to evacuate after the nearby Zapote River overflowed due to continuous habagat rains, leading to severe flooding in several parts of the city.

The visit came after the president inspected a self-priming drainage pump at Alido Bridge in Barangay Zapote.

The pump was deployed to hasten the extraction of floodwater and discharge it back into the river.

In an interview, Marcos said the flooding in the city was no longer as severe as before, but acknowledged that more work is still needed to better mitigate its effects.

“Dati hanggang sa dibdib pa abot, ngayon wala pa, hindi pa, hanggang kulang pa sa tuhod ang baha,” Marcos said.

The president also directed the Department of Public Works and Highways to revive the Las Piñas spillway project, which has been delayed for more than a decade.

Around 736 families from 10 barangays have been displaced and evacuated so far due to the southwest monsoon, according to the city government.

Mayor April Aguilar and Las Piñas Rep. Mark Anthony Santos also accompanied Marcos during his visit.