They say you will never understand the problems that a place deals with unless you actually live there. That’s true, and nowhere is this any more valid than in a site that gets inundated by rainwater.

The other day—just as the country was wrapping up its national and local elections—the skies opened up and seemed to vent their anger on a populace that stubbornly kept choosing unqualified leaders caused floodwaters to effortlessly appear almost everywhere—particularly in Parañaque.

Through a wet—quick but soaked—spell that was reminiscent of Typhoon Ondoy, Monday night brought doom to many car owners. And everyone was pointing an accusatory finger at the CAVITEX-C5 Link for what could have been an otherwise avoidable calamity.

Reader Adz Kureya gave us his assessment of what happened: “Ang nangyari sa ginagawang C5 CAVITEX, binarahan nila ang ilog kaya matindi ang naging pagbaha ngayon dito sa Parañaque, Kaingin, Moonwalk at Multinational. Dito po sa image (see above photo), kita po na tinambakan ang ilog.”

MPT South Corporation, a company owned by Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation and the one in charge of the project, sent us this message to assure everyone that it is on top of the situation:

We just want to share our official response pertaining to one of your posts on social media mentioning CAVITEX-C5 Link having blocked the waterway on C5.

The project team has always carefully planned the methodology of the construction with consideration for local weather patterns and environmental impact mitigation. The recent unusually heavy rainfall has unfortunately affected the worksite.

We appreciate the community and Barangay’s concerns and have engaged in immediate discussions to address them collaboratively. The safety and well-being of our community and the environment remain our top priority.

Our technical team and contractor have undertaken a thorough and immediate reassessment of the current situation. In direct response to the local authorities’ request, the removal of the temporary bridge will be completed today. A joint assessment of the area will also be conducted to ensure a comprehensive understanding, underscoring our commitment to collaboration with the community and local government.

Our ongoing reassessment and future actions will specifically consider the potential influence of climate change on local high tides. We are unwavering in our commitment to implement all necessary actions with transparency and responsibility to ensure a safe, environmentally responsible, and resilient outcome for our entire community.

Rest assured that we are dedicated to working with our stakeholders. Thank you.

We’re no civil engineers, but we trust that those responsible for the project know what they’re doing. It’s beginning to rain more regularly, and deluges will be worse than ever. We don’t think they’re to avenge the fate of some politicians who lost in the elections; rather, they’re to remind us to choose leaders who will make sure these things don’t happen.