Rebooting our nation's capital

METRO Manila is the country's seat of power. It is the hub center of commerce, politics, culture, education, innovation and other religious pursuits. In the "Game of Thrones" genre, it is our version of King's Landing that overlooks the Blackwater Bay. More than one-third of the country's economy comes from Metro Manila's resources, jobs and services. The massive rains and ensuing flash floods last July 24 illustrated how Metro Manila is now at a tipping point of its existence. Like a computer system, no less than rebooting our nation's capital is crucial to save its irreversible delete to extinction.

Metro Manila has a land area of 639 square kilometers, which is 87 percent smaller than Singapore's size of 734 sq km. But Metro Manila's population density is more congested at 21,000 people per sq km than Singapore's 8,277 people per sq km. Through the decades, widespread urbanization, unregulated development and swelling population have taken its toll on the government's ability to deliver essential services to the capital like power, water, transportation, waste disposal, flood management and public safety. Previous water catchment areas were turned into residential, commercial and industrial use, causing runoff floodwaters to clog old drainage systems. Truckloads of garbage often bogged down the pumping stations during typhoons, while rising sea levels further exacerbated flooding in many lowland areas.