Laguna still flooded

Cathryn Hannay

It has a couple of month since flooding has ravished the Philippines around Laguna Lake. Water level is sill standing and is expected to remain for months to come. As discussed in my last article, the flooding is still blamed on illegal settling of the coastal areas. The government is still discussing plans to evict these inhabitants, which is estimated to include 350,000 people. With these estimates put into perspective it leads one to question the reasoning behind why these inhabitants are considered to be illegal and if it has anything to do with a separation in classes. The neglect of these peoples is also evident in the slow clean up process and the cancelation of a water works project that would help lower these water levels. The poor residents are still occupying their home while those who left their homes are crowded into shelters. Residents are now creating makeshift barges to travel over the flooded streets and occupying second story houses to live on the drier upper floor. One of the major concerns to the people who decided to stay behind is the increased likelihood of disease from the dirty and flood induced waters. These are unsanitary conditions and such things as rot can also negatively affect the health of the people who remain. Another concern for the people who have decided to stand their ground who are considered illegal residents is that they could lose the communities they once occupied- although it is likely they already have. It is amazing that the floodwaters have remained for such a long time and that many people still inhabit these submerged homes. The fact remains that on some level the struggle here is based on the legal right to land and the protection of claimed land. Is one guaranteed a place to live? Should they replace their lost land with another opportunity for housing? Or does the government consider it a lost cause?


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8355515.stm