By Hoover Uy de Baron (hoover.uydebaron@gmail.com)
When Ondoy struck last year I thanked my lucky stars hindi kami na-Ondoy. The reason I considered myself lucky was that when I bought my condo here in Ortigas Centre I had no idea that it was 60 metres above sea level.
What Ondoy did was expose Metro Manila's weak drainage system and infrastructure. I didn't know that flooding was such a life and death issue here. I mean, sure, I knew Metro Manila flooded but I didn't think people could die from it! Like many property owners I thought that if its near a main road and its in a nice neighbourhood you would be ok. How could we have known that Ondoy would strike in Marikina, lower Pasig, Cainta and even in the exclusive villages of Valle Verde and Magallanes.
Being in the property business I decided to study the effects of flooding in different areas of Manila and it all boils down to this:
Altitude of the surrounding area
Drainage of the surrounding area
Proximity to rivers, creeks and lakes
Unfortunately its hard to control 2 out of the 3 factors when choosing an area that doesn't flood. It's difficult to know if the creek nearby will flood and even more difficult to know just how good a place's drainage system is. So really, when looking for property its altitude, altitude altitude... Gaano kataas ang lugar mo?
One more thing... Don't rely on hearsay... Don't rely on neighbours who tell you - huwag ka magalala mataas dito! The only sure way is to get an altimeter and measure how high the property is above sea level. As a guide you should be looking at a property which is at least 10 metres above sea level.
Now its hard to buy an altimeter just to know the altitude of your property so here are the heights of some of the well-known areas in Metro Manila:
Kapitolyo, Pasig - 30-40 mtrs. above sea level
Fort Bonifacio, Taguig - 20-45 mtrs. above sea level
Eastwood, Quezon City - 13-15 mtrs. above sea level
Magallanes, Makati - 3-11 mtrs. above sea level
Valle Verde 2, Pasig - 11-13 mtrs. above sea level
Ayala Ave, Makati - 15-50 mtrs. above sea level
Do you know how high your place is? Tell me your address (hoover.uydebaron@gmail.com) and I will let you know.
Hoover Uy de Baron is a Director at Rent to Own.ph. Rent to Own.ph specializes in rent to own properties in the Philippines. For more information visit www.renttoown.ph.
When Ondoy struck last year I thanked my lucky stars hindi kami na-Ondoy. The reason I considered myself lucky was that when I bought my condo here in Ortigas Centre I had no idea that it was 60 metres above sea level.
What Ondoy did was expose Metro Manila's weak drainage system and infrastructure. I didn't know that flooding was such a life and death issue here. I mean, sure, I knew Metro Manila flooded but I didn't think people could die from it! Like many property owners I thought that if its near a main road and its in a nice neighbourhood you would be ok. How could we have known that Ondoy would strike in Marikina, lower Pasig, Cainta and even in the exclusive villages of Valle Verde and Magallanes.
Being in the property business I decided to study the effects of flooding in different areas of Manila and it all boils down to this:
Unfortunately its hard to control 2 out of the 3 factors when choosing an area that doesn't flood. It's difficult to know if the creek nearby will flood and even more difficult to know just how good a place's drainage system is. So really, when looking for property its altitude, altitude altitude... Gaano kataas ang lugar mo?
One more thing... Don't rely on hearsay... Don't rely on neighbours who tell you - huwag ka magalala mataas dito! The only sure way is to get an altimeter and measure how high the property is above sea level. As a guide you should be looking at a property which is at least 10 metres above sea level.
Now its hard to buy an altimeter just to know the altitude of your property so here are the heights of some of the well-known areas in Metro Manila:
Do you know how high your place is? Tell me your address (hoover.uydebaron@gmail.com) and I will let you know.
Hoover Uy de Baron is a Director at Rent to Own.ph. Rent to Own.ph specializes in rent to own properties in the Philippines. For more information visit www.renttoown.ph.
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