All wet

"THERE ARE no floodings. Okay naman. So far so good. Unlike before when the situation is like this ay lubog na ang maraming lugar (some areas are submerged). Nakatulong ng malaki ang preparasyon namin at iyung Sagip Ilog (Our preparations have helped and our Sagip Ilog program)."
So was quoted the Honorable Oscar S. Rodriguez in the Sun-Star Pampanga banner story of June 22, 2011, “Mayor: No massive flooding in city.”
This, so the paper said, after Rodriguez did the rounds of the city in the wake of the rains spawned by tropical depressions “Egay” and “Falcon.”
The preparations, Rodriguez bared, included the clean-up of canals and drainage systems. Still, it was the Sagip-Ilog project, ”whose first phase is 98 percent complete,” that contributed much in flood prevention.
Rodriguez’s rah-rah boys, the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry were quick to follow, as they – again per the Sun-Star Pampanga story “lauded the Department of Public Works and Highways for its flood mitigation projects that were put to test by Tropical Depression Egay.”
Here’s the rest of the hallelujah story – en toto – in Sun-Star Pampanga:
"PamCham vice chairman Rene Romero also said reports that there were no serious flooding incidents in the capital city during the onslaught of Egay could be credited to the P700-million Sagip Ilog Project of the City Government and the massive canalization works done by the DPWH along the stretch of MacArthur Highway in the city.
"Romero said the projects are obviously functioning and have done their part in mitigating the usual flood that visits low-lying barangays and road areas here. He said the long stretch of the MacArthur Highway always had problems in terms of flood water running out of shallow canals.
"Today, he said, flood and drainage water have been properly contained inside the new canals constructed by the DPWH.
"The canalization works were part of the DPWH road widening project along MacArthur Highway that included the removal of old acacia trees that were affected by the road widening.
"Vice Chairman Romero noted that PamCham’s efforts at promoting business and investments in the countryside will not be undermined anymore by the annual threat of the rainy season…”
“No massive flooding in city.”
To repeat, that was bannered by Sun-Star Pampanga on June 22, 2011.
Three days after, June 25, 2011, Falcon made a virtual liar out of Rodriguez and Romero.
Stretches of the Olongapo- Gapan Road or Jose Abad Santos Avenue turned into veritable seas, the floodwaters – in some ironical sense – concentrated in front of the showrooms of Ford, Mitsubishi, and BMW – companies of PamCham chairman emeritus Levy Laus. What’s this? Hataw ng PamCham, latay kay Levy?
An incongruity of the city’s world class image is that wooden pedestrian bridge connecting Car-World to the highway, rendered useless at the height of the flooding.
The OG-MacArthur Highway junction was likewise inundated, knee-deep waters lapping at the entrances of Hyundai and Jollibee.
Lazatin Boulevard was impassable to cars for a long while, notwithstanding its waters drained to St. Jude Village. Yeah, at least two houses were eroded by the creek bounding the west side of the subdivision.
Also impassable to cars was the Sto. Nino end of Lazatin Blvd., but a pissing distance from Heroes Hall.
Floodwaters reportedly reached waist-level in Barangays San Jose, Del Pilar, Sta. Lucia and Sto. Nino – areas covered by the Sagip-Ilog Project. Also inundated was Barangays San Nicolas.
Even that widened and canalized portion of MacArthur Highway hailed as floodless only three days ago by what’s-his-name was also a virtual sea at the height of Falcon. Its flooding arguably compounded by the massacre of the acacia trees whose massive and expansive root systems could have held some of the waters.
“No massive flooding in city.”
Clearly, Rodriguez and his rah-rah boys must be talking of a city other than San Fernando. Given the situation on June 25.
“Streets are flooded contrary to claims of the city…We are not naman expecting overnight miracles as far as flooding in the city is concerned. But bannering it in the papers when the rains are just falling? Ot e dane pa pegobran pamu (Why didn’t they work on it first)?”
So Sun-Star Pampanga quoted Capitol chief of staff Rosve Henson, himself a civil engineer, but never an excited foreteller of events.
So who’s all wet now – literally and figuratively – by speaking out too loud, and too soon?
Which reminds us of King Canute.
To those not familiar with the story, Canute was a king of England, Denmark, Norway and parts of Sweden. He was so great a ruler that his courtiers claimed he could command the tides of the sea to go back.
Legend says that Canute had his throne carried to the seashore and sat on it as the tide came in, commanding the waves to go back to open sea.
Of course, he got all wet.
As Rodriguez and his own courtiers in the PamCham are now all drenched to their bones with the statement of “No massive flooding in city” drowned in the wake of Falcon.
Maybe, Rodriguez and his chorus boys can take heed in the lesson Canute crafted out of his wetness: “Let all men know how empty and worthless is the power of kings. For there is none worthy of the name but God, whom heaven, earth and sea obey".
Or that thrown at city hall by one moron at the Baluyut Bridge: Masyadu kayung ekselente. Whatever he meant.