Senators are hoping to hear President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. disclose how his administration intends to find solutions to the country’s perennial problem on massive flooding and online gambling in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 28.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. delivers his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 22, 2024 at the Batasang Pambansa. (MANILA BULLETIN)

Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said he expects the President to take up the flooding problem, along with peace and order, when he reports to the public after the opening of the 20th Congress.

“I believe it will be included,” Lacson said confidently during an interview on Radio DZBB on Sunday, July 27.

In the interview, Lacson expressed belief that half of the almost P2-trillion allocations for flood control projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) may have been lost to corruption.

The former national police chief also said the government ought to review the mechanisms for preparation, planning and implementation in addressing the flooding problem.

"Climate change has been tagged as a factor in the flooding problem but it has become a convenient excuse for some. We need to see where we can improve in terms of preparation, planning and implementation,” he said.

“We also cannot discount that of the P2 trillion in allocations, P1 trillion may have ended up in some people's pockets,” he added.

While nearly P2-trillion had been allocated to the budget of the DPWH alone for the last 15 years since 2011, the flooding problem still persists, Lacson noted.

“It's absurd. With bigger funding, shouldn't flood levels be going down? Why is the rise in funding directly proportional to the rise in floodwater levels? Something is very wrong - if not with management, then with planning and policy,” he pointed out.

Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito also sought the President’s concrete plans to mitigate the flooding problem especially in Metro Manila.

“I hope the President mentions infrastructure projects, energy transport modernization, including flood mitigation during his SONA,” Ejercito said.

“I hope to hear that from the President in the last three years, the first three years seem like we fell short. I hope we can catch up with our neighbors,” he added.

Sen. Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri, for his part, also said he wishes to hear the President discuss ways on how to eradicate online gambling.

“I would really like to hear from the President what steps he can take to stop this online gambling, whether it is illegal or legal,” said Zubiri, one of the senators who sought to ban online gambling.

“You know, there are still so many people sending me messages, their children are addicted to gambling, their fathers are addicted to gambling, OFW (overseas Filipino workers) remittances to their families are being depleted because of gambling, the country's economy has weakened because instead of being used for Jollibee and visiting malls, the money just goes to gambling,” he lamented.

Zubiri said he hopes to hear the President speak out against online gambling in the same manner he addressed concerns regarding the illegal operations of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).

“Before, if you wanted to gamble on Sunday, you went to the clubhouse. If you wanted to go to the casino, there was nothing we could do. That was legal, you could go. But here now, what they have done is online gambling. Even in the bathroom. While you're taking a shower, you can gamble,” he said.

If the President cannot find ways to impose an outright ban on online gambling, he can at least direct Congress to study what measures could help regulate this activity.

“If he can't outright ban it, at least he can say that Congress needs to study what steps we can take to be stricter, especially in the use of these e-wallets. Because what happened is, we brought the casino, we brought gambling into our homes. We brought it into our homes,” he noted.