Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson wondered why floods continue to plague Filipinos despite yearly increases in the budget for the national government's flood management programs.

Lacson noted that while the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has spent an estimated P2 trillion on flood management for the past 15 years, or P350 million a day, the problem persists.

"Isn’t it absurd that the rise of floodwaters in our 'malas' country is directly proportional to the increase in the annual budget for the national government’s flood management program? For 15 years since 2011, the DPWH is supposed to have spent almost 2 trillion pesos and yet...," he said in a post on X Friday afternoon.

"Two trillion pesos means an average daily expense of almost P350 million for the past 15 years. A midsize Cutter Suction Dredger costs anywhere from US$1.5 million to US$8 million. At US$5 million or P285 million with the current peso-dollar exchange rate, we can actually buy one dredging machine every day and use part of the excess of P65 million for operating expenses and maintenance," he added.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council's 6 a.m. Friday update showed that at least 25 people were reported killed and at least eight were reported missing due to the effects of tropical cyclones "Crising", "Dante", and "Emong", as well as the southwest monsoon.

It added at least 1.065 million families, or 3.85 million people were affected by the monsoon and the cyclones.

Lacson earlier bared inequitable and distorted allocation of funds for flood control projects in some areas in the 2025 budget, including a small barangay in Oriental Mindoro that received P1.9 billion and a small town in the same province that received P10 billion.

He also called for a long-term and integrated master plan for flood management.

Lacson says it is time to review the present flood management programs, including how almost P2 trillion in funding in the last 15 years was spent, and hold the concerned parties accountable.

"What happened to the huge amounts we spent in the last 15 years? Was there any progress? If the flood control policies and programs were not effective, we should see where we went wrong and make the needed corrections," he said in Filipino, in interviews on DZRH and DWIZ.

"For accountability, we need to see how the funds were spent and find out who were responsible for it," he added.

Lacson stressed the need for long-term planning for flood control. He noted that in other countries, the plans would cover 20 years--way longer than the Philippines' medium-term planning of five to six years.

"Can't we have a long-term master plan so the program will go on regardless of changes in administration? The United States has that, so people know what to expect for the next 20 years. We don't have that," he said.

Also, he said flood control programs must be "integrated and holistic" at least at the regional level, with proper coordination among local government units (LGUs). This will address the possibility that floods in one town or city can spill over to neighboring areas, he said.

"We cannot insulate a town or city in formulating a flood management program because floods may spill over to its neighboring areas. The planning should be integrated at least at the regional level," he said.

Meanwhile, Lacson says it is time as well to make sure erring contractors and those involved in faulty flood control programs are jailed or penalized, if only to discourage others from engaging in corruption.