Probe flood control projects — Escudero

MANILA, Philippines — Flood control projects need to be investigated, Senate President Francis Escudero said yesterday as he questioned their usefulness amid the multibillion-peso allocation every year.

Escudero also urged the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to collaborate with local government units (LGUs) in inspecting flooded areas to recommend medium and long-term solutions.

Following the devastating floods in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, Escudero said LGUs should swiftly collect garbage and clean up debris to prevent diseases and help residents return to normal life.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) should also use its emergency employment program, or the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers program, to provide temporary jobs, Escudero said.

He advised barangays to coordinate with DOLE to hire workers for waste cleanup.

Escudero earlier said that the repetitive cycle of flooding in the Philippines is an unacceptable and painful reality.

“Is it always like this? Will we just accept that when it rains heavily, it will flood and paralyze the cycle of our life? What happened to ‘building back better’?” he said.

“We cannot control the severity and frequency of typhoons and heavy rains, but we must anticipate, adjust and adapt so that extreme weather phenomena do not unnecessarily disrupt the lives of our kababayans,” he added.

Last week, Escudero urged the DPWH and the MMDA to address chronic flooding in Metro Manila amid the devastation caused by Typhoon Carina and monsoon rains.

Sen. Grace Poe earlier said officials managing the country’s sewage system will be grilled about the massive flooding.

Officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will also be questioned about reclamation activities, Poe said.

“There are conflicting reports. The sergeant at arms correctly said that such floods had never happened at the Senate,” she said.

“Now when you go to the Senate, there is no (sunset) view because there is a pile of land there for reclamation. But (Filipino geologist) Mahar Lagmay said reclamation has nothing to do with it (flooding at the Senate). I will call them both so that our hearing is fair,” she noted.

Lagmay earlier explained that the Senate compound has been prone to flooding, in response to Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri blaming reclamation projects in Manila Bay for causing floods at the Senate.

Meanwhile, despite a P280-billion budget in 2023 for the flood management and mitigation projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Metro Manila continues to suffer from severe floods, Sen. Joel Villanueva lamented yesterday.

“This means we spent P1.079 billion a day on flood control projects in 2023,” Villanueva said.

“Congress allocated an even higher budget this year to the DPWH for flood management. The government’s funding for this is now at P1.35 billion per day,” he added.

Villanueva cited a Climate Central study, which found that major cities in Metro Manila could be submerged by 2050 due to coastal flooding caused by climate change. — Jose Rodel Clapano