📷: PAMALAKAYA / FB
Anti-corruption alliance Kilos Bulacan led a multisectoral protest today, August 31, in Malolos City to demand accountability for severe, repeated flooding caused by typhoon-enhanced southwest monsoon (Habagat) rains.
Joining the demonstration were activist groups Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA), Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), and Anakpawis Party-list.
Protesters blamed systemic corruption, failing flood control projects, and large-scale environmental reclamation for intensifying community vulnerability.
Reclamation Impact
PAMALAKAYA highlighted the 2,500-hectare New Manila International Airport (NMIA) project in Bulakan town, stating it displaced nearly 1,000 fishing families, destroyed over 600 mangrove trees, and exacerbated local flood risks.
Citing the investigation of the international non-government organization Global Witness, PAMALAKAYA said that the airport project in Bulacan faces critical risks of flooding and subsidence, threatening its long-term viability. Scientists cited in the report warn that rising sea levels and storm surges could render the airport unusable within decades.
Agricultural Losses
KMP Chairperson and Malolos resident Danilo Ramos denounced anomalous infrastructure projects, arguing that corrupt officials and corporations profit while farmers face severe livelihood destruction.
“Farmers and residents of Bulacan have long endured the repeated flooding caused by these useless, anomalous flood-control projects. While corrupt officials and big corporations plunder the public funds and our environment, ordinary people suffer.
We demand justice in the form of genuine mitigation measures, accountability, and appropriate compensation for this systematic disaster that caused unmeasurable losses,” Ramos said.
Demands for Accountability
PAMALAKAYA Vice Chairperson Ronnel Arambulo and Anakpawis Coordinator Glo Fernandez urged the provincial government to heed calls for justice, immediate flooding solutions, strict political accountability, and fair compensation for impacted sectors.
“Mahigit isang taon na mula ng sumambulat ang anomalya sa flood control. Pero hanggang ngayon ay nananatiling bulnerable ang maraming sektor sa pagbaha.
Dapat kapwa panagutin ang mga pulitikong sangkot sa maanomalyang flood control at ang mga malalaking korporasyon na sumira ng kalikasan,” Fernandez said. # (ZIA LUNA)
