Maintenance and Protection of Flood Control System

May 29, 1976

LETTER OF INSTRUCTIONS NO. 410

WHEREAS, the tragic plight of the thousands of victims of the recent calamity wrought by Typhoon Didang and damage to property left in its wake are traceable to a considerable degree to the misapprehension of the populace on the different facets of the flood control system in Metro Manila and Central Luzon, notably the misconception that the Arnedo Dike protects the inhabitants in the towns on the Pampanga river bank, like San Simon, Apalit and Arayat, when in fact it has already been abandoned and no longer maintained because a level, higher than the Arnedo Dike and 500 meters farther from the river, has been built, to protect the inhabitants living along the riverbank; and the misinformation that the Pantabangan and Arayat dams are partly responsible for the flood;

WHEREAS, there have been reports that the main drains of the flood control system are clogged because of the dumping of garbage in them notably plastic materials and other non-biodegradable materials which do not deteriorate, rot or decompose even under prolonged exposure to air, water and other elements;

WHEREAS, there have been reports that the recent floods indicate that almost all local drainage systems are not properly maintained.

WHEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines, do hereby direct: casia

1)  The Secretary of Public Information to lend his full assistance and facilities for the widest dissemination of information concerning the flood control systems in Metro Manila and Central Luzon, so as to avoid in the future similar critical, if not fatal, misinformation;

2) The Secretary of National Defense to direct the various police agencies to apprehend those who impair or obstruct the various constructions relative to the flood control system.

3)  The Secretary of Local Government and Community Development to involve the vast network of barangays and coordinate their efforts in the maintenance and protection of said flood control system, especially in the proper disposal of garbage.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 29th day of May, in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Seventy-Six. cdt