President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. attributed Wednesday’s severe flooding in Metro Manila to climate change and improper waste disposal, which were exacerbated by the heavy rains of the Habagat (Southwest Monsoon) intensified by tropical cyclone Carina.
During his inspection of the affected areas in Metro Manila, Marcos also mentioned the damaged navigation gate in Navotas, which had been hit by a ship, as a contributing factor.
In his recent State of the Nation Address on Monday, Marcos highlighted that over 5,000 flood control projects had been completed.
“Mas marami tayong flood control ngayon kaysa noon pero climate change. This is what the effects of climate change are,” he stated during his visit to Malabon City.
Additionally, Marcos emphasized that improper waste disposal has led to significant flooding during heavy rains.
“Nagkaproblema lang. Sana matuto naman ang tao. Huwag kayong nagtatapon ng basura dahil ‘yung basura, ‘yun ang nagbara doon sa mga pump natin kaya hindi kasing effective na puwede,” he urged.
Following Super Typhoon Carina, several senators criticized the implementation of flood control projects, citing substantial annual budget allocations.
Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero questioned the efficacy of these measures and the utilization of the allocated budget for flood control projects. He noted that approximately P255 billion was designated for the DPWH’s flood control projects in the P5.768-trillion national budget for 2024, a sum he deemed disproportionately large compared to other essential sectors.
“Anong nangyari sa daan-bilyon na flood control projects ng DPWH, MMDA at mga lokal na pamahalaan?” Escudero asked.
Escudero stated that the Senate public works committee, led by Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., will conduct an inquiry to investigate the reasons behind the apparent inefficacy of the flood control projects despite substantial funding.
This inquiry aims to assess the current state of the flood control systems and develop actionable solutions to ensure that the investments in these projects effectively protect communities from flooding and mitigate the impact of severe weather events.
He recalled that last year’s budget deliberations showed that the P255 billion budget for flood control far exceeded allocations for irrigation (P31 billion), construction of new hospitals, and the capital outlay budgets of the Department of Agriculture (P40.13 billion) and the Department of Health (P24.57 billion).
He also noted that the flood control budget surpasses the proposed budgets of entire departments, including the Department of National Defense (P232.2 billion) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (P209.9 billion).
“With Metro Manila now under a state of calamity and the government working to address the damage caused by Typhoon Carina, we should also work to determine why—over a decade after Typhoon Ondoy—chronic, severe flooding continues to affect 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.