Senators on Thursday, July 25 called on the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to put an end to chronic flooding in Metro Manila following Typhoon Carina’s onslaught in the National Capital Region (NCR) and account for the billions worth of fund supposedly allocated for flood control projects.
“With 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—over a decade after Typhoon Ondoy—chronic, severe flooding continues to afflict the nation’s capital,” Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero said.
The Senate chief also called for a thorough investigation into the government’s flood control projects in light of the severe flooding despite the multibillion-peso allocation every year.
Escudero noted that approximately P255 billion was allocated for the DPWH’s flood control projects in the P5.768-trillion national budget for this year.
“Anong nangyari sa daan-bilyon na flood control projects ng DPWH, MMDA at mga lokal na pamahalaan (What happened to the billions worth of flood control projects of the DPWH, the MMDA and the LGUs)?” he pointed out.
“Swaths of NCR are flooded so work and classes are suspended; we deploy our frontliners who rescue and evacuate affected families; generous volunteers and groups organize donation efforts and distribute aid; after the rains end, we assess the costs of the damage and evacuees are sent home. Repeat,” he lamented.
Escudero noted this repetitive cycle is a painful reality that should not be acceptable, particularly given the economic significance of Metro Manila and its role as the seat of government.
Therefore, he said the DPWH and MMDA must work hand in hand with local government units (LGUs) in inspecting flooded areas to recommend medium- and long-term solutions to prevent and avoid flooding.
“Ganito na lang ba palagi? Tatanggapin na lang natin na kapag malakas ang ulan, magbabaha at mapaparalisa ang ikot ng buhay natin? Anong nangyari sa ‘building back better (Is it always like this? Will we just accept that when it rains heavily, it will flood and paralyze the cycle of our life? What happened to 'building back better)?” Escudero asked.
“We cannot control the severity and frequency of typhoons and heavy rains, but we must anticipate, adjust, and adapt so that extreme weather phenomena do not unnecessarily disrupt the lives of our kababayan (citizens),” Escudero said.
Sen. Maria Lourdes “Nancy” Binay also noted that despite the significant funds allocated to DPWH's and MMDA's flood control programs, “it is evident that these measures have failed to produce the necessary improvements to safeguard our communities.”
“It is deeply concerning that, in this age of advanced technology and substantial resources, our flood management systems remain painfully inadequate,” Binay lamented.
Binay also expressed her deepest sympathies to those affected by floods and landslides brought about by Typhoon Carina, and expressed her solidarity to the first responders, paramedics, frontliners, the AFP-PNP-BFP, and our brave volunteers who sacrificed their own lives to ensure everyone's safety in yet another extra-ordinary climate event that hit Metro Manila and Luzon.
“The calm after the storm gives us time to rebuild and the mental space to reflect what could have been wrong in our policies, and what could we do more to mitigate and lessen the risks in times of natural calamaties,” she said.
“Climate change is real. The harsh and extreme weather is the new normal. This is the reason why in 2010--the year after Ondoy--the DRRM Law was set in place, and we opted to mainstream climate change adaptation and disaster risk management in the CLUP for LGUs to implement,” added the lawmaker.
Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito also said he finds it “hard to stomach” that there are billions worth of funding for flood control each year and yet it seems that the projects are not well-planned and executed.
“That is why I have been pushing for a comprehensive masterplan for infrastructure development, aside from transportation modernization, this would also include high impact flood mitigation and control projects,” Ejercito said.
“Pag patuloy ang pag gawa ng mga flood control projects na patchi patchi ay walang mangyayayari nagtatapon lang tayo ng pera (If the flood control projects continue to be done patch by patch, nothing will happen, we are just throwing money away),” he pointed out.
“Ang kailangan ay mga high impact or big ticket flood control projects para magkaroon ng resulta, hindi ang pinaghahatian ang pondo para lang masabi na may mga proyekto...mega dikes and big water impounding infrastructures are what is needed (What is needed are high impact or big ticket flood control projects to have results, not the distribution of funds just to say that there are projects...mega dikes and big water impounding infrastructures are what is needed),” Ejercito pointed out.
For his part, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian suggested that flood control projects be redesigned to consider rapid urbanization and high population density of Metro Manila.
At most, Gatchalian said the drainage systems should be enlarged, waterways should be dredged and unimpeded and dam management should be seemlessly coordinated.
“I also noticed that Pagasa (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration) did not warn the LGUs early enough that's why our constituents were trapped inside their homes,” Gatchalian noted.