Reminiscent of Ondoy.
This is the universal sentiment after Carina – the first super typhoon of 2024 to be recorded in the Philippine Area of Responsibility – together with a Carina-enhanced Habagat, hit many areas of Luzon last Wednesday, 24 July 2024, generating 207 millimeters of rain over the course of six hours, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
The Office of Civil Defense is closely monitoring Metro Manila, Central Luzon, and CALABARZON, adding that 882,861 individuals or 183,464 families from 686 barangays nationwide were affected, as of July 24.
Metro Manila has been placed under a State of Calamity after it has been submerged by heavy flooding.
As a resident of Manila since birth, there is nothing new seeing streets- turned-into-rivers where people wade through knee-deep murky waters. Last Wednesday’s flood, however, is the worst – if memory serves me right – since the onslaught of Ondoy entering the ground floor of our house waist-deep.
It is, therefore, not surprising the massive flooding turned the spotlight on President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr’s third State-of-the-Nation Address.
Two days before the nation’s capital became water world, the President triumphantly reported in his SONA that over 5,500 flood control projects have been completed in the past two years under his administration.
Knowing that July is part of the rainy season and flooding in the metropolis has been a perennial problem, it does not take a rocket scientist to take the side of caution when mentioning flood control in the SONA speech. Anyways, this item is in the lengthier written Technical Report, which supplements the SONA speech, as we call it when I served as a senior consultant to the Policy Group at the Presidential Management Staff during the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
In addition, a year earlier, 03 August 2023, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) published a news release, “PBBM admin to prioritize flood-control projects, climate change mitigation measures,” to underscore government plans to address massive flooding in the country.
The Philippine Information Agency likewise proudly mentioned in its 05 September 2023 news release, “Flood management gets largest share in the proposed 2024 DPWH budget,” citing hundreds of billion of pesos of allocation to fund the construction and rehabilitation of flood mitigation facilities in the major river basins and principal rivers of the country.
In another news release, PCO, on 12 July 2024, published “PBBM prepares Central Luzon for rains, flood,” quoting PBBM in San Fernando, Pampanga, “Batid din po naming matatapos na ang labis na tag-init, ang malakas na ulan at baha naman ang (kakaharapin) natin na suliranin sa susunod na ilang buwan… Kaya po pinaghahandaan na natin ang pagdating na tag-ulan.”
With these reassurances from the Marcos Jr Administration, people were dumbfounded asking what happened to the P244.57 billon budget allocated for flood management program in the General Appropriations Act.
After all, the issue is not only about the Executive Department’s effective implementation of programs; but more importantly, the accountability of our elected and appointed leaders in utilizing taxpayers’ money.
Anyare? This is what’s on everyone’s mind.
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Dennis Ting is a former director of the Department of Budget and Management.
