đ·Senate President Chiz Escudero
HOURS after Super Typhoon Carina left the country, members of the Philippine Senate took turns assailing the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) which according to them has been receiving a whopping P1.4 billion fund per day just for flood control projects.
An obviously pissed off Senate President Francis Escudero sought an explanation as to how and where the DPWH spent its hundreds of billions on government allocation under the national budget, even as he questioned the effectiveness of flood control measures.
According to Escudero, around P255 billion was allocated for the DPWHâs flood control projects in the P5.768-trillion national budget for 2024, which he previously tagged as disproportionately large compared to other critical sectors.
âAnong nangyari sa daan-bilyon na flood control projects ng DPWH, MMDA at mga lokal na pamahalaan?â
This comes as the Senate chief hinted at commencing a congressional inquiry by the Senate public works committee in an apparent effort to assess the current state of the flood control systems and develop solutions to ensure that the substantial investments in these projects yield the intended results.
During last yearâs budget deliberation Escudero questioned the P255 billion budget for flood control, which according to him, far exceeded the allocations for irrigation, which is at P31 billion, the construction of new hospitals, and even the capital outlay budgets of the Department of Agriculture at P40.13 billion, and the Department of Health at P24.57 billion.
He also pointed out last year that the flood control budget surpasses the proposed budgets of entire departments, including the Department of National Defense at P232.2 billion and the Department of Social Welfare and Development at P209.9 billion.
âWith Metro Manila now under a state of calamity and the government now working to address the damage wrought by Typhoon Carina, we should also work to determine why â over a decade after Typhoon Ondoy â chronic, severe flooding continues to afflict the nationâs capital,â Escudero averred.
âGanito na lang ba palagi? Tatanggapin na lang natin na kapag malakas ang ulan, magbabaha at mapaparalisa ang ikot ng buhay natin? Anong nangyari sa âbuilding back betterâ?â he continued.
Even Senator Imee Marcos finds the massive flooding brought about by Super Typhoon Carina and the enhanced Southwest Monsoon or Habagat, as a matter of utmost concern despite billions earmarked for flood control projects annually.
“Kailangan solusyunan itong flood control. Umpisa pa lamang. Kauumpisa lamang ng ating rainy season. Nasa Hulyo pa lang tayo, ganito na yung kalagayan natin.”
“Isa pa, medyo nakakapikon, kasi sa totoo lang, hindi naman nagkulang ang Congress at Senado sa pagbibigay ng pera para sa flood control. Kung tutuusin, P450 billion, halos P1.4 billion a day ang flood control budget. Kung isusuma total mo lahat ng agencies mula sa DPWH pababa. Saan napunta yung pera? Yun ang tanong,” she added.
Senator JV Ejercito also shared the same sentiment and reiterated the need for a comprehensive master plan for infrastructure development which would include high-impact flood mitigation and control projects.
“It seems that projects on flood control are not well planned and executed. Pag patuloy ang paggawa ng mga ‘flood control’ projects na patchi patchi ay walang mangyayari nagtatapon lang tayo ng pera,” he quipped.
Senator Nancy Binay also took a swipe at the implementation of the government flood control programs despite the “significant funding” given to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
“Despite the significant funds allocated to DPWH and MMDA flood control programs, it is evident that these measures have failed to produce the necessary improvements to safeguard our communities,” her statement reads.
“It is deeply concerning that, in this age of advanced technology and substantial resources, our flood management systems remain painfully inadequate,” she added.
Binay raised the “growing demand to reevaluate” the current policies and programs of government agencies for them to “immediately rectify systemic issues. The people deserve accountability.”
Senator Joel Vilanueva also criticized the lack of improvement in the flood control program of the government despite the adequate funding.
“Imagine for the past two years, including this year, we have this P1 billion a day flood control budget for DPWH alone, P1 billion a day. Please tell me if anyone here can see at least an improvement sa mga baha,” he told senate reporters in a Viber message.
For his part, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said flood control projects should be redesigned to consider rapid urbanization and high population density of Metro Manila.
“Drainage systems should be enlarged, waterways should be dredged and unimpeded and dam management should be seamlessly coordinated,” he said.
The Metro Manila Council earlier placed the National Capital Region (NCR) under a state of calamity due to massive flooding.’ (ANGEL F. JOSE)
