Nature as fact-checker

I thought the great deluge of 2009 was a once-in-a-lifetime ordeal for the people of the Greater Manila Area. Fifteen years have passed but our politicos and public servants have not learned a thing from the Ondoy tragedy. The July 24 inundation has revealed a simple fact. Mother Nature, like Father Time, has become a truth-teller. Or, to be exact, the ultimate fact-checker against state propaganda. 

My heart goes out to every Filipino victimized by the destructive onslaught of Typhoon Carina and the habagat. I have been praying hard for the immediate rescue and subsequent rehabilitation of all affected individuals. 

From America, I watched with deep concern and horror news reports and social media videos as the tropical storm and southwest monsoon battered Metro Manila and other hardest-hit provinces such as Bulacan, Cavite and Rizal. I was in the middle of a seven-day, five-city Maisug Prayer Rally in North America when the disaster struck 16 regions of the Philippines. 

Grim statistics

The calamity has claimed 32 persons, according to the Philippine National Police (GMA News). Several individuals are still reported missing. I expect the government, which looks more preoccupied with public relations crisis management than actual disaster and emergency management, to aid and comfort the victims’ families speedily. 

The STAR reported the Carina-enhanced habagat dumped 471 millimeters of rainfall between midnight of July 24 and midnight of July 25. It surpassed the 455 millimeters of rainfall recorded by PAGASA within 24 hours during Ondoy.

A quick look at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) situation report yesterday shows that the devastation has affected almost 300,000 families and 1.31 million individuals all over the country. There are currently 887,328 displaced Filipinos. 

Declared under a state of calamity are 26 cities and municipalities. The affected areas include 53 provinces, 262 cities and municipalities and 1,596 barangays. The NDRRMC reported floodings in 689 areas in Regions 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, 10, 11 and 12, as well as the Cordillera Autonomous Region and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao caused by Carina, habagat and Tropical Depression Butchoy. 

The extreme weather disturbances massively damaged the agriculture (P16.2 million) and infrastructure (P1.29 million) sectors. At least 1,453 farmers and fisherfolk have been affected. Meanwhile, 234 roads, 21 bridges, 21 seaports and an airport were damaged. 

Notorious typhoon season

The months from July to October are notoriously known for having the worst typhoons hitting the country. While every Filipino is used to braving these strong typhoons, which perennially wreak havoc on human lives and properties, our country never seemed resilient enough to come to terms with these extreme weather conditions. This week, the Philippines and the rest of the world witnessed in real time how typhoons and monsoons cause immeasurable damage to our country. 

Unfortunately, the severe flooding in Metro Manila and nearby provinces has served as a natural fact checker to the Chief Executive’s boast in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 22. Curiously, a few days before the SONA, President Bongbong Marcos Jr. proposed ten flood control projects worth P500 billion between 2024 and 2037. Last May, he promised to fix the country’s flood control system amid the La Niña threat (Inquirer).  

Two days after proudly claiming that his administration completed 5,500 flood control projects, the deluge in GMA happened. The irony of ironies? A case of speaking too soon? A big slap on his face? Unwittingly, Mother Nature has unraveled a state-driven deception foisted on an unsuspecting citizenry.

If the country has constructed thousands of flood barriers, how can the government explain the massive flooding on July 24? In the flooding aftermath, PBBM has sidestepped, if not laughed off, media queries on the flood control projects. Should he not be made accountable for his claim? 

I recall that last year, Senator Chiz Escudero questioned why the budget earmarked for flood control in 2024 was too big for “tubig.” He was aghast that the P255-billion allocation was even bigger than the entire appropriation for the agriculture, social welfare and defense departments. The Senate President is now asking the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Metro Manila Development Authority and local government units for an explanation. The Senate should launch an investigation on the issue. 

Meanwhile, Senator Imee Marcos disclosed that both congressional chambers provided sufficient funds for flood control. She said Congress provided a P1.4-billion budget per day for flood control to DPWH and related agencies (GMA News). Like Senators Chiz and Imee, I would like to know: where did the money go? What happened to the 5,500 flood barriers? Why did they fail to protect the people of GMA from the inundation?

Corruption-prone

All those involved in this mess should explain to every taxpaying Filipino and every disaster victim.

I also agree with my co-Maisug prayer warrior Glenn Chong and popular vlogger Maharlika that this disaster exposed corruption and incompetence in the current dispensation. As former party-list congressmen, Glenn and I know that several legislators prefer getting budget allocation for their pet flood control projects. 

This type of infrastructure project is prone to corruption, given its questionable project monitoring and evaluation process. For instance, a dredging project contract may require a contractor to excavate 100 tons of sediment and debris from a certain body of water. An unscrupulous contractor in cahoots with erring government officials can easily get away with dredging only five tons of sediment. Obviously, this does not result in effective flood control to safeguard the people and their properties. It only results in fiscal or financial control for corrupt individuals in government.