Accountability is key: Momo backs Marcos' call to probe flood control projects
At A Glance
- Citing the need to pinpoint areas of corruption and mismanagement, Surigao del Sur 1st district Rep. Romeo Momo on Tuesday, July 29, expressed his full support for President Marcos' call for a comprehensive investigation into flood-control projects that failed to deliver.
Surigao del Sur 1st district Rep. Romeo Momo (left), President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. (Facebook, MANILA BULLETIN)
Citing the need to pinpoint areas of corruption and mismanagement, Surigao del Sur 1st district Rep. Romeo Momo on Tuesday, July 29, expressed his full support for President Marcos' call for a comprehensive investigation into flood-control projects that failed to deliver.
“The President has my full support in his call for transparency and accountability. Billions of pesos are allocated yearly for flood control, but our communities continue to suffer from widespread flooding,” Momo said in a statement Tuesday, July 29, a day after !Marcos made the call in his State of the Nation Address (SONA).
“We have just seen it again this past week after the several typhoons and the habagat swamped communities in Luzon," noted the congressman-engineer.
“We need to identify the bottlenecks—whether they are due to corruption, mismanagement, or poor planning—and ensure that these issues are immediately addressed,” he stressed.
Momo, a former undersecretary for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), emphasized the urgency and necessity of an investigation into failed flood-mitigation projects.
In his annual speech, Marcos called on relevant government agencies to hold accountable those responsible for the substandard and incomplete flood-control infrastructure.
But more than looking into the physical state of the flood-control structures, the Mindanao solon underscored the need to evaluate the other components of the projects.
"While flood-control projects are important due to climate change and are therefore laudable, to ensure effectiveness, however, they must have undergone proper feasibility study, detailed engineering design, and rigorous master planning,” he explained.
As the country expects to be battered by more extreme weather disturbances in the coming weeks, Momo pointed out the need for swift and thorough action, adding that failure to act decisively puts more communities at great risk.
“We owe it to the Filipino people, to our taxpayers, to ensure that their hard-earned money is invested into projects that will protect them and their families,” the for chairperson of the Committee on Public Works and Highways added.