Flood misery lingers in storm-hit Philippines

[Pastor Dale Morgan]

*Perilous Times and Global Warming

Flood misery lingers in storm-hit Philippines*

Family on raft in Laguna province, Philippines
Many people are using makeshift rafts to move around

BBC - After a series of devastating storms since late September, many
communities in the Philippines are still badly flooded, and the
government estimates it may take months for the waters to drain, reports
the BBC's Daniel Vincent from Manila.

A frail Rosita Gillaco stands waist deep in the waters outside the
debris that was once her home, waiting for help that may never come.

Everything she owned was destroyed in the floods that swamped her
village of Palingon. Her house was submerged when Lake Laguna,
south-east of Manila, overflowed.

Like many in her community, the 65-year-old prefers to live in the dirty
waters that flooded much of the area around Manila than take refuge in
the overcrowded evacuation centres.

"I may get relief first if I stand here. Now everything in my house is
destroyed. I don't have a second floor so I just stay here," Mrs Gillaco
says.

Waterborne diseases

Palingon is one of more than 20 villages near Manila that are still
under feet of water after a succession of deadly typhoons.

Many people are now living on the upper floors of their homes. Below,
boats run along the flooded streets and children wade through the water,
catching fish.
Family in their flood-hit home in Laguna province, Philippines
Contaminated water may now be a greater threat than the weather

A bamboo bridge circling the village is now the only route to dry land.

At the current rate, authorities say it will take three to six months
for the waters to recede.

Residents describe the waters rising with every new storm. Nearby Lake
Laguna, the largest lake in the Philippines, is at twice its normal
level and the overflow has moved on to the natural floodplain near the lake.

A planned channel from the lake to Manila Bay that would have helped
drain the excess water brought by the storms was never built.

Now the threat from contaminated water may be greater than that from the
weather.

The World Health Organization says it is battling serious outbreaks of
waterborne diseases like Leptospirosis and acute diarrhoea, as well as
respiratory infections.

Health workers say thousands of people could be affected.

Urban sprawl

The floodwaters now stagnating on the floodplain also highlight the
Philippines' problems with unregulated urban growth.

Instead of using the floodplain for crops that thrive in watery
conditions, such as rice, Manila's urban sprawl has been allowed to
extend up to the lake shore.


Politicians who will continue to protect squatters will earn brownie
points come the elections- Edgardo Manda- Laguna Lake Development Authority

Many of the residents here are squatters, some of the millions who have
moved to Manila. The government has blamed the squatters for much of the
flooding because many people have built homes along the city's canals
and waterways.

Mounds of rubbish have piled up over the years, blocking the vital
waterways.

Manila authorities estimate that 350,000 illegal residents must be
evicted in order to clear the waters that are now spreading disease.

The central government has ordered the squatters be evicted, but many
refuse to leave.

And politicians have been hesitant to evict them for fear of losing
votes ahead of the general elections next year.

"The reluctance of the government is at the local level. Politicians who
will continue to protect squatters will earn brownie points come the
elections," said Edgardo Manda, from the Laguna Lake Development Authority.

'Balancing act'

One of the squatters facing eviction is Liza Lacap, who lives in a
riverbank community in Pasig City in Manila. Rubbish is strewn across
the river.

Signs of the heavy rains that fell here are everywhere.

A dusty Virgin Mary stands on a shelf on a wall and dried muck from
where water and mud swept over her home has solidified on the inside of
her roof. Muddy residue runs up the outside of her home.

"Being evicted is a bigger disaster than the typhoon," said Ms Lacap,
29. "I have lived here all my life but now I have to leave."

After surviving the floods, she has been given just days to relocate.

"They do not want to move out, they fear that if they do, they will lose
the communities that they once occupied," said Mr Manda.

"For those living in the main town - the mainstream population - they
will see the local government officials in a very negative light if they
continue to protect the squatters.

"But for the squatters if they are evicted they will stop supporting
politicians. It is now a balancing act for them," he said.