‘San napunta ‘yung pera?’: Senators question flood control projects amid billions of annual budgets

In the aftermath of Super Typhoon Carina, several senators hit the implementation of flood control projects which they said were allocated with hundreds of billions under the national budget yearly.

Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero questioned the effectiveness of flood control measures and the use of the annual budget allocated for these projects.

According to Escudero, around P255 billion was allocated for the DPWH’s flood control projects in the P5.768-trillion national budget for 2024, which he previously tagged as disproportionately large compared to other critical sectors.

“Anong nangyari sa daan-bilyon na flood control projects ng DPWH, MMDA at mga lokal na pamahalaan?” Escudero asked.

Escudero said the Senate public works committee, chaired by Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., will conduct an inquiry to “uncover the reasons behind the apparent inefficacy of the flood control projects despite the substantial funding.”

This inquiry, Escudero said, aims to assess the current state of the flood control systems and develop actionable solutions to ensure that the substantial investments in these projects yield the intended results which are protecting communities from flooding and mitigating the impact of severe weather events.

He recalled that in last year’s budget deliberations, the P255 billion budget for flood control far exceeded the allocations for irrigation which is at P31 billion, the construction of new hospitals, and even the capital outlay budgets of the Department of Agriculture at P40.13 billion, and the Department of Health at P24.57 billion.

He also pointed out last year that flood control budget surpasses the proposed budgets of entire departments, including the Department of National Defense at P232.2 billion and the Department of Social Welfare and Development at P209.9 billion.

“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,” Escudero said.

“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’?” the Senate president asked.

(Is it like this every time? We would just accept that every time it rains hard, it would result in floods and our lives would be paralyzed? Whatever happene to 'building back better'?)

In an ambush interview in Manila, Senator Imee Marcos said she's "pissed off" by the massive flooding which was brought about by Super Typhoon Carina and the enhanced Southwest Monsoon or Habagat, considering Congress allocates billions for flood control projects annually.

"Kailangan solusyunan itong flood control. Umpisa pa lamang. Kauumpisa lamang ng ating rainy season. Nasa Hulyo pa lang tayo, ganito na yung kalagayan natin," Marcos said.

"Isa pa, medyo nakakapikon, kasi sa totoo lang, hindi naman nagkulang ang Congress at Senado sa pagbibigay ng pera para sa flood control. Kung tutuusin, P450 billion, halos P1.4 billion a day ang flood control budget. Kung isusuma total mo lahat ng agencies mula sa DPWH pababa. Saan napunta yung pera? Yun ang tanong," the vice chairman of Senate committee on finance added.

(We need to find solutions for flood control. This is just the beginning. The rainy season has just started.We are just in July, and we are in this situation.

Also, and it upsets me, honestly, Congress and the Senate did not lack in providing funds for flood control. After all, P450 billion, the flood control budget is almost P1.4 billion a day. If you add up all the agencies from the DPWH down. Where did the money go? That is the question.)

Senator JV Ejercito also shared the same sentiment and reiterated the need for a comprehensive master plan for infrastructure development which would include high-impact flood mitigation and control projects.

"It's hard to stomach that there is a P300 [billion] budget for flood control each year and it seems that projects on flood control are not well planned and executed," Ejercito said.

"Pag patuloy ang pag gawa ng mga 'flood control' projects na patchi patchi ay walang mangyayayari nagtatapon lang tayo ng pera," he added.

(If they continue to proceed with these ragtag ‘flood control’ projects nothing will happen, we will just end up throwing money.)

Senator Nancy Binay also took a swipe at the implementation of the government flood control programs despite the "significant funding" given to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

"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," Binay said in a statement.

"It is deeply concerning that, in this age of advanced technology and substantial resources, our flood management systems remain painfully inadequate," she added.

Binay raised the "growing demand to reevaluate" the current policies and programs of government agencies for them to "immediately rectify systemic issues."

"The people deserve accountability," she said.

Senator Joel Vilanueva also criticized the lack of improvement in the flood control program of the government despite the adequate funding.

"Imagine for the past two years, including this year, we have this P1 billion a day flood control budget for DPWH alone, P1 billion a day. Please tell me if anyone here can see at least an improvement sa mga baha," he said in a Viber message to reporters.

For his part, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said flood control projects should be redesigned to consider rapid urbanization and high population density of Metro Manila.

"Drainage systems should be enlarged, waterways should be dredged and unimpeded and dam management should be seamlessly coordinated," he said.

The Metro Manila Council earlier placed the National Capital Region (NCR) under a state of calamity due to massive flooding.'

The effects of Carina and Habagat continued to be felt on Wednesday as livelihoods, homes, and transportation were disrupted in different parts of the country.

Floods, swollen rivers, landslides, and soil erosion, among others, were reported in different areas.

Super Typhoon Carina left the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Thursday morning. PAGASA, however, said that it will continue to enhance the Southwest Monsoon that will bring moderate to intense rains over the western section of Luzon.—RF, GMA Integrated News