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A perfect city does not exist. And even if Valenzuela City has garnered multiple awards for the past few years, there are still challenges that the city is facing on a day-to-day basis. These two are traffic and flooding.

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As a student, in our littlest ways, you may ask what we can do to protect ourselves from the virus, at the same time, help the healthcare workers lessen their workloads? It is to eat healthily and be healthy. The hashtag may sound so cliche, but proper nutrition and hydration is the road to a stronger immune system. We must make sure to keep ourselves hydrated and eat more vegetables and fruits to lower the risk of chronic diseases.

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Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

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Herd Immunity and Coronavirus: Can It Be Achieved?

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Valenzuela City received a COVID-19 Response Service Award from the Department of Health - Metro Manila Center for Health Development this 2021 for its excellence in handling the pandemic along with Malabon, Pasig, Manila, and Muntinlupa. Despite the rising cases in the city, the local government unit still managed to prevent it as much as they can. From distributing the goods, adjusting to the implemented protocols, and budgeting the cash assistance, their efforts indeed did not waste. However, the continuous rise of cases in the city is quite alarming, too. It might not be as critical as the cases in other cities, but it needs some work to do since cases rise despite strict protocols. With this, the local government unit must ensure that every family included in the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) will receive their cash assistance. Simultaneously, the government needs to work on a more precise and organized plan, especially concerning vaccination, so that everyone can have the chance to be vaccinated as soon as possible to achieve the target herd immunity as quickly as possible.

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After multiple executive orders and presidential decree, ex-President Fidel V. Ramos signed Republic Act 8526 on the 14th of February 1998, converting the then-municipality into a city. As of present, Valenzuela is classified as a first-class highly-urbanized city in the National Capital Region (NCR).

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Valenzuela City is composed of 33 barangays. In 2015, Valenzuela City is ranked as the 13th most populated city in the Philippines with a total population of 620,422. With a population of 89,441 or 14.42%, Barangay Gen. T. de Leon tops the largest count in terms of population

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https://businessmirror.com.ph/2017/09/30/valenzuela-emerges-as-a-top-manufacturing-hub-in-phl/

https://www.philatlas.com/luzon/ncr/valenzuela.html

https://angelaaguirre.wordpress.com/2008/07/01/

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The city government, first of all, must communicate with the nearby provinces and cities first, than doing it all on its own. By communicating, they can better work together by managing the vehicles passing through the most congested streets in the area. Possible causes of traffic in the city are lack of urban planning, inefficient road use, transportation barriers, and the like. Hence, the local government unit must allot enough budget to construct infrastructures that can be solutions for this concern for the betterment of humankind.

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While the city government is doing its part in flood control, it is still not enough as we, as citizens, should also do our part, like not throwing trash everywhere as small changes still make a big difference. At the same time, the local government unit should also allot enough budget to further improve the drainage system and road elevation. Even if there are frequent cleanups, it needs to find the root cause and start from there.

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DEMAND AND SUPPLY - Boo Chanco (The Philippine Star) - November 23, 2020 - 12:00am

The infuriating thing about our annual flooding problem is that there has been no shortage of solutions offered through the years. Our officials simply failed to act on the proposals.

An example is the Manggahan Floodway, where the government failed to implement the other part of the project which is the Paranaque spillway. As a result, we didn't see any improvement.

One solution offered by Carlos Arcilla of UP is the use of capture tunnels in the Marikina-Montalban watershed to reduce the discharge of floodwater flowing into Marikina and returning the captured water volume to the Sierra Madre divide for discharge eventually to the Pacific Ocean.

Arcilla wrote in the Inquirer that "this solution should be cheaper and could be integrated in the overall scheme of flood water management, resulting in a much lesser discharge of floodwater into the metropolis, which would reduce the kind and amount of intervention.

"These capture tunnels might be more feasible than a proposed solution of making a channel from the Marikina Valley directly to the Manila Bay, potentially running over infrastructure and residents."

I guess Arcilla is not too hot about the Paranaque spillway proposed by a study group led by environmental architect Jun Palafox back in 1977. Jun was commissioned to help develop an urban plan for Metro Manila under the Metro Manila Transport, Land Use, and Development Planning Project.

Two projects were proposed as part of the plan's flood control management: the ManggahanFloodway and Parañaque Spillway deals. But only the Manggahan Floodway was built.

The Manggahan Floodway-Paranaque Spillway Complex was supposed to effectively contain and channel floodwaters. Under the plan, the Laguna Lake will act as the initial floodwater container and the Manila Bay a secondary container.

When the Pasig and Marikina rivers reach critical levels, excess water is diverted to Laguna Lake through the Manggahan Floodway, while the Paranaque Spillway will flush out excess water from Laguna Lake towards Manila Bay to protect the 29 Laguna lakeshore towns.

The Manggahan Floodway and the Paranaque Spillway were designed to be simultaneously constructed, but only the floodway was built. As a result, every time flood waters are diverted into the Laguna Lake via the Manggahan Floodway, Laguna Lake becomes a toilet without a flush.

Palafox said "that was what exactly happened during the onslaught of Typhoon Ondoy, where 4,600 cubic meters per second of flood waters came down from the mountains and flooded more than 80,000 hectares of low-lying urban land in Metro Manila and around Laguna Lake. Singapore, in comparison, has only 71,000 hectares of land."

Now they are saying the spillway cannot be built because the right-of-way is all built-up.

But for San Miguel's Ramon S. Ang, that is not a problem. He still wants to build a $2-B Metro Manila Spillway, but through an underground tunnel. He plans to use similar boring machines to be used for the Manila Subway project.

Mr. Ang will build it at no cost to the government. He just wants the government to give San Miguel the right to generate power from the shifting tides.

Responding to my text inquiry, he described his proposal as a tunnel of 15 meters in diameter and about 20 kilometers from Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay. He said with two spillways, it will solve Metro Manila's flooding problem.

How? He explained that Laguna de Bay will be able to work as a water storage again for the Sierra Madre mountains and Marikina River, and then flow out to Manila Bay. Because Pasig River is silted, RSA said "that's why we need these two new spillways."

RSA got his inspiration for this proposal from Sihwa Lake, an artificial lake in South Korea. It was created to provide reclaimed land for the nearby metropolitan area, flood mitigation, and secure irrigation water by converting the coastal reservoir to fresh water.

But water quality deteriorated due to a number of factors. The Koreans decided to construct the Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station, the world's largest tidal power installation, with a total power output capacity of 254 MW.

The tidal units essentially produce power by exploiting the gap in the water level between the sea and Lake Sihwa. As the tide rises, saltwater flows through the turbines from the Yellow Sea and into Lake Sihwa, creating electricity.

But at low tide, the gates are raised and the turbines revert to sluicing mode, allowing the lake to be emptied and no electricity to be produced.

The most remarkable impact has been the recovery of water quality and ecosystems. The continuous circulation of water between the lake and the outer sea during the power generation process has improved the water quality.

RSA said he submitted a proposal to DPWH during PNoy's time and up to now has not been given a response. At no cost to the taxpayers, the only concern of government regulators should be the environmental impact of the project.

But if we are looking at dredging as one solution, Mr Ang said he also plans to dredge major rivers in Bulacan to mitigate flooding in the province, including the P1 billion Tullahan River dredging project.

"Dredging the Tullahan is a major component of our flood mitigation strategies. Essentially, it will clean up and deepen the river system, increasing its capacity to handle heavy rains and allowing for floodwaters to flow more freely and drain into the Manila Bay," Ang said.

He explained that the Tullahan River is also a spillway for water coming from Angat and Ipo Dams going to the Manila Bay, hence the need to maintain its depth.

San Miguel has also started planting the first 10,000 mangroves it intends to plant in Hagonoy, Bulacan, as part of a larger plan to plant and grow almost 200,000 mangroves over 76 hectares of coastal area throughout Bulacan and Central Luzon.

So many things to do and many at no cost to the taxpayers. The Duterte administration should break from the past and act on these flood control projects right away.

Boo Chanco's e-mail address is bchanco@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter

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DEMAND AND SUPPLY - Boo Chanco (The Philippine Star) - November 23, 2020 - 12:00am The infuriating thing about our annual flooding problem is that there has been no shortage of solutions offered through the years. Our officials simply failed to act on the proposals.

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Valenzuela city is known for being "business-friendly" in the industry. As you can see in the table below, the numbers of registered businesses dating 2004 to 2019 kept on rising more and more, which means the unemployment rate will decrease. Still, it will be causing traffic congestion and jam in whichever part of Valenzuela, especially if you came across the two major highways.

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Valenzuela, being one-fourth of CAMANAVA, deals with floods every rainy season. Besides drainage problems, the city is also near rivers such as the Meycauayan River and Tullahan River. Moreover, flooding has been one of the city's primary problems as residents are always affected by every typhoon, causing them to evacuate most of the time as their area is highly vulnerable to flooding.

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"Give what you can; take what you need."

With the sudden rise of community pantries across the country, including some barangays in Valenzuela, Mayor Rex Gatchalian permits the residents to build their own without any special permits. Acts such as these pantries ignited the bayanihan spirit, which helped many unfortunate Filipinos deeply affected by the pandemic.

Likewise, this initiative does not stop the city government from distributing cash assistance to the beneficiaries based on the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Acts 1 and 2. PHP530,716,000 was allotted as the SAP funds for the beneficiaries, as mentioned by the Department of Budget and Management.

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'AKONG BAHALA'

The Valenzuela government on Tuesday declared that community pantries are allowed to operate in the city even without securing a special permit from authorities.

However, the city government reminded those who are organizing and lining up at community pantries that they still must follow proper health protocols to prevent community transmission.

Furthermore, minors are not allowed to go to community pantries during curfew hours. The pantries must also be closed during the curfew.

"Mayor @rex_gatchalian allows community pantries in Valenzuela City. No need for special permits. Just make sure minimum health standards and social distancing will be observed at all times," the tweet stated.

Amid reports of red-tagging and profiling of pantry organizers, Valenzuela Mayor Rex Gatchalian said he would take action against those who would create panic and anxiety among organizers of the initiative.

"Just set it up... if somebody gives you trouble let me know... ako bahala sa kanila (I will be the one who will take care of it)," the local chief executive said in another social media post.

After a small community pantry was set up on Maginhawa Street, Quezon City, more concerned citizens followed suit by starting their pantries at community spaces to provide free essential goods for lockdown-hit residents.

On Monday, reports of police officers asking pantry organizers' to present identification and questioning organization "affiliations" alarmed organizers and lawmakers.

The Philippine National Police for its part dismissed claims that it ordered its police officers to question the affiliations of those in charge of putting up the community pantries.

Anna Patricia Non, who started the Maginhawa Community Pantry, earlier announced that she would temporarily halt services of her initiative due to the red-tagging reports. - DVM, GMA News

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Valenzuela's Gatchalian allows community pantries to operate sans permits

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'AKONG BAHALA' The Valenzuela government on Tuesday declared that community pantries are allowed to operate in the city even without securing a special permit from authorities. However, the city government reminded those who are organizing and lining up at community pantries that they still must follow proper health protocols to prevent community transmission.

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Mayor Rex Gatchalian also mentioned that there would also be 640,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines besides the vaccine supply from the National Government in Valenzuela City. Moreover, the city of Valenzuela aims that at least 70% of the adult population gets vaccinated -- to achieve the target herd immunity.

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As of May 8, 2021, 129 new confirmed cases and 164 recoveries totaled to 1,071 active cases in Valenzuela City. All in all, there are 18,230 confirmed cases, 16,702 recoveries, and 457 deaths.

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According to Mayor Rex Gatchalian, as of April 2021, 16,000 residents have already been vaccinated against COVID-19. Healthcare workers, meanwhile, are done with their second dose of the vaccine, while senior citizens and individuals with comorbidities will receive theirs starting May 8.

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MANILA, Philippines - Around 16,000 individuals have already received their COVID-19 vaccine in Valenzuela City, mayor Rex Gatchalian said Thursday.

In an interview with INQUIRER.net's INQside Look, Gatchalian said 14,000 have already been given their first dose of COVID-19 jabs while 2,000 have already received their two doses.

Those who have received their two doses of COVID-19 vaccines are healthcare workers, said Gatchalian.

Meanwhile, the mayor said the administration of the second dose to senior citizens and persons with comorbidities will begin on May 8.

Gatchalian said a "no walk-in policy" is being strictly implemented in vaccination sites in their city and that those who wish to get vaccinated have to set an appointment.

"People will apply online using our portal where they got their QR codes for contact tracing. They fill up the medical forms there. Then they get an appointments letter delivered to them," Gatchalian said.

"We make sure that when they get to the vaccination center, they won't get contaminated there so that's why may appointments para may social distance sila," he added.

The Valenzuela mayor said aside from the vaccine supply from the national government, the city government has also procured 640,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines to cover 320,000 individuals.

"That is 70 percent of our adult population which is the target herd immunity. But the national government has also bought for Valenzuela so we'll have more than enough for everybody," Gatchalian said.

Data from the city government showed that as of April 27, there are 1,043 active cases of COVID-19 in the city. Meanwhile, 15,474 have recovered from COVID-19 while 399 have succumbed to the disease.

EDV

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Around 16,000 Valenzuela residents now vaccinated vs COVID-19

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MANILA, Philippines - Around 16,000 individuals have already received their COVID-19 vaccine in Valenzuela City, mayor Rex Gatchalian said Thursday. In an interview with INQUIRER.net's INQside Look, Gatchalian said 14,000 have already been given their first dose of COVID-19 jabs while 2,000 have already received their two doses.

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For years, Valenzuela City remained as one of the top manufacturing cities in the country. Moreso, it has continuously proved its excellence in the field of business and industry, whether in small- or large-scale. From food, metals, textiles, plastics, lumber, and the like, the economic growth of the city progresses every year, earning the reputation as "The economic miracle of the decade.” As of 2019, there are 19,912 total number of businesses in Valenzuela City with a total income of PHP5,179,506.003.

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In 2015, ValenzuelaWorks.PH is created where Valenzuelanos can access variety of business-related papers such as securing a business license, building and occupancy permit, locational clearance, and the like -- all in a website.

Are you curious about the registered factories and industries in Valenzuela City? Check the full list of business directory by clicking the link below:

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As of 2021, Valenzuela City has a population of 675,979 with a household of 164,873.

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Valenzuela City has a total land area of 4,459.4 hectares or 44.59 square kilometre situated at approximately 14° 42' North, 120° 57' East, in the Luzon Island with an estimated elevation of 5.6 meters or 18.5 feet above mean sea level. The cities and municipalities closest to Valenzuela are Quezon City and North Caloocan (east); Malabon and South Caloocan (South); Obando (west); and Meycauayan (north).

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Polo, Bulacan was once a town named after the word pulo, which means an "island" since rivers surround it. In 1960, ex-President Garcia signed EO 401, dividing the city of Polo into two parts; the western part remained the same, while the eastern part was named after Dr. Pio A. Valenzuela, one of the triumvirates of the Katipunan who was born and raised in the said town.

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The Northern Gateway to Metropolitan Manila

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The Northern Gateway to Metropolitan Manila

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If you are big on travels, no doubt that you are most likely familiar with Valenzuela City when traveling north as you pass through either from one of the two major highways--MacArthur Highway or North Luzon Expressway (NLEX).

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Once a simple, and quiet rural town in Bulacan, best known for its fishery and agriculture, is now one of the Philippines' top innovative and industrial cities.

Get to know the city of vibrance, Valenzuela: how it started, progressed, and became a premier business and industrial center in the country.

On the hunt for a glimpse of the city? Watch this short clip: