AKBAYAN Rep. Perci Cendaña today criticized NLEX Corporation and its parent company, Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC), for their failure to manage flooding on the toll way, leaving vehicles stranded overnight due to heavy rains triggered by the Southwest Monsoon.
Rep. Cendaña, one of those who spent the night on NLEX, said: “Saan ka nakakitang binabaha ang expressway? Kung gaano kataas ang toll fee ng NLEX, ganoon naman kabagsak ang traffic at flood management. Ang lakas maningil, pero palpak naman ang serbisyo.”
“Puro post lang ng updates sa page, pero walang contingency plan para sa mga na-stranded? The NLEX corporation’s response was ill-prepared, poorly coordinated, and ineffectively implemented,” he added.
Last night, the NLEX corporation issued an advisory that three parts of the expressway was no longer passable to all types of vehicles.
Rep. Cendaña also said that this is “symptomatic” of the administration’s overall response to the typhoon: “People getting stranded on our expressways due to flooding is symptomatic of the Marcos administration’s poor disaster response. This is a part of a bigger picture — a deeper failure within the administration — one marked by the lack of preparedness, inadequacy, and apathy to the immediate needs of Filipinos during these critical times.”
“Our government, especially the MMDA and DPWH, should get its act together and ensure the safety of our communities from the persistent flooding,” he emphasized.
