📷: DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon
House Minority Leader Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan on Monday said the appointment of Vince Dizon as the new Secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) gives the Marcos administration a rare chance to launch a bold and lasting solution to the country’s worsening flood crisis.
“The change in DPWH leadership opens the door not only to reorganize the agency, but also to reboot and reinvent the government’s entire flood control program,” Libanan said.
Libanan urged Dizon to immediately conduct a sweeping audit of ongoing and proposed flood control projects to ensure that public funds are invested in works that genuinely protect communities.
“Every peso must go to infrastructure that saves lives and livelihoods, not to questionable projects that merely look good on paper,” the 4Ps Party-list lawmaker stressed.
Libanan also renewed his call for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to convene a National Public-Private Flood Control Summit that would unite government agencies, local governments, business leaders, and experts in addressing flooding nationwide.
“The private sector, as shown by businessman Ramon Ang’s offer to help fix Metro Manila’s flooding problem, is ready to contribute. But the State must boldly lead the effort, because flood control demands both resources and the enforcement of zoning and waterway laws,” he said.
Congress, Libanan added, is prepared to support such an initiative, even to the extent of granting the President special emergency powers to fast-track procurement, relocation of affected families, and right-of-way acquisitions.
“This is a national crisis that demands a countrywide solution. Harsh climate change will only worsen the risks of massive flooding in the years ahead,” Libanan warned.#
