THE Senate will look into the massive flooding in Mindanao particularly in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan cities to determine if the National Power Corp. (Napocor) did not release water from dams at the height of Tropical Storm Sendong.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile on Sunday said that he will be directing the Senate committee on energy to look into the possible culpability of Napocor. He expressed belief that the flash floods resulted from the release of water from dams run by Napocor.

“I doubt if the massive flooding was caused by heavy rains or illegal logging, somebody may have opened the floodgates of dams,” Enrile told radio station dzBB.

He said that in Cagayan de Oro, the river is congruent with the Pulangi Hydro Electric Power System while the Agos river in Iligan City is near the Maria Cristina Hydro Electric Power System, both run by Napocor.

“Kung ulan lang yun, dapat gradual yung paglaki ng tubig sa ilog [If rain was the cause, there should have been a gradual rise of the water level in rivers],” Enrile said. The floods left more than a thousand people dead and scores remain missing.

The senator cited the massive flooding experienced in Luzon, which was caused by the release of flood water.

Sen. Edgardo Angara underscored the importance of crafting a comprehensive, information-driven plan to deal with natural disasters brought about by climate change.

Angara, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, cited a recent report from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration entitled “Climate Change in the Philippines” showing projections for 2020 and 2050 with dry seasons getting drier and wet seasons getting wetter.

“Our researchers illustrated that our weather will only become more extreme in the coming years, affecting so many aspects of our lives—like how we conduct our agriculture, or where we should build our homes,” Angara said.

The senator added that President Benigno Aquino 3rd earlier approved the adoption of the National Climate Change Action Plan drafted by the Climate Change Commission that outlines strategic priorities, which include among others food security, water sufficiency and knowledge and capacity development.

“This is a welcome development but one that should be seen as only the first of many steps,” Angara said.

Meanwhile the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) will provide 1,000 shelters for families displaced by floods in Cagayan de Oro. The shelters will rise on the a five-hectare land donated by Xavier University.

PRC Chairman Richard Gordon said that Xavier University Chairman Elpidio Paras led the ground- breaking over the weekend for a future resettlement site in Xavier compound in Lumbia village.

He said that the Red Cross would build 1,000 houses as soon as the site is ready.

In the meantime, the Red Cross will put up tents on the site for families sheltered in school buildings.

Also present during the groundbreaking rites were partners in the shelter program, including head of delegation Selva Sinnadurai of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Jessie Co, Tony Uy and Rudy Menes of Oro Chamber of Commerce, Walter and Annabelle Brown of A. Brown Co., as well as Lumbia village captain Willie Valencia and Misamis Oriental- Cagayan De Oro Red Cross chapter Chairman Antonio Soriano.