AMID unsolicited proposals to establish new and modern airports in Bulacan and Sangley Point in Cavite, the government’s chief economic planner still views Clark International Airport as the “superior” option to decongest Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
Cavite residents flee flooded homes, take shelter on street. Residents take shelter from the rain after floodwaters displaced them from their homes in Noveleta, Cavite on Monday. Local government rescue units in Cavite, now under state of calamity, appeared woefully unprepared. AFP PHOTO / Jay Directo For many in Cavite, now under a state of calamity, the past two days have been their Ondoy. A large swath of the province has been submerged as torrential rains have fallen since Sunday night. The rainfall has been at record levels in some areas, particularly in Sangley Point, a part of the provincial capital of Cavite City at the peninsular northernmost point of the province. PAGASA maintains a weather station in Sangley Point, long a naval base. During the Habagat deluge in 2012, rainfall at Sangley Point reached 354.2 mm in the 24 hours ending 8 a.m. on August 7, 2012, according to PAGASA weather division head Robert Sawi. In contrast, rainfall at the same location for the same period on August 20, 2013, reached 475.4 mm. This is even more than the average expected rainfall for the entire month, or 457.4 mm. “Ibig sabihin, mas higit sa isang buwan ang naibagsak na ulan sa loob lamang ng isang araw,” explained GMA News’ resident meteorologist, Nathaniel “Mang Tani” Cruz. The rain intensity at Sangley Point surprised even DOST Secretary Ramon Montejo. “We were also surprised at the rain intensity in some areas, especially in Sangley, Cavite,” he said. The disaster seems far from Read More …