Yesterday’s heavy rains caused major flooding in many parts of Manila. I got stuck in traffic for two hours on Nagtahan bridge because the stretch from Governor Forbes up to A.H. Lacson was submerged in knee-deep flood. And, this was at around 10:00 pm, a good three or four hours after the heavy downpour had ended.

But, ok, I can be a little more understanding here. The flooding was not entirely your fault. You’ve been doing your job but the garbage just keeps piling up to inevitably clog the city’s sewers and waterways. That’s benefit of the doubt for you.

However, I cannot forgive you for your failure to send out your personnel to assist the hundreds of motorists who got stuck in that area. This you failed to do in spite of the fact that your Traffic Engineering Center was just a stone’s throw away. Correct me please if I am wrong but isn’t that facility of yours located somewhere there along Ramon Magsaysay Boulevard? I believe it’s just a few meters away from — drumroll please — Nagtahan Bridge!

If only your highly esteemed traffic enforcers had been doing their jobs they could have positioned themselves just before the Nagtahan Bridge to warn motorists that the road ahead was impassable. Had someone been there to give us that useful piece of information we would have been able to avoid all that hassle.

Coincidentally, this whole thing happened just as a small group of pro-active thinking bloggers are engaged in a debate over the importance of having a platform with another blogger who happens to be a supporter of MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando. This BF supporter is against Platform, Plez an ongoing effort to get politicial candidates to come out with their respective platforms. Why he’s against it no one can really say for certain. Anyway, this BF supporter was challenged to provide information about Fernando’s stand on various issues of concern. However, for some reason, he just won’t do it. Oh well it’s his loss.

But, i’m digressing. I’m ranting here to send the word out that the MMDA is either padding its figures on flood reduction or is simply lying through its teeth. Last night’s flooding in Governor Forbes up to A.H. Lacson and other parts of Manila was very clear proof that the agency still has a long way to go before it can make any claim of success in the area of flood reduction.

I also want to highlight the fact that the MMDA FAILED to send out its people to assist all of us who got stranded there on Nagtahan Bridge last night. Makes me want to ask the obvious question. What are taxpayers paying you for anyway?