Of floods and falsehoods

In his recent State of the Nation Address, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. boasted the completion of more than 5,500 flood control projects. Ironically, torrential rains brought by Typhoon Carina (Gaemi) the following day flooded the entire Metro Manila and nearby provinces. This caused countless memes and criticisms from ordinary citizens about the obvious falsehood of thousands of completed flood control projects. Lawmakers have called for an investigation into the ?244.57-billion flood control projects of this administration.

Floods are nothing new to us. Because the country is in the typhoon belt, we are highly susceptible to frequent typhoons and heavy rains. Historically, we experience an average of 20 typhoons annually, with about five of them causing significant damage and flooding. Due to the archipelagic nature of the Philippines, many areas are near bodies of water, increasing their vulnerability to flooding, leading heavy rains in the mountains to rapid runoff and river swelling, which cause floods in downstream areas, low-lying plains, and river deltas being particularly susceptible to flooding.

When the Americans first conducted a survey of the drainage and sewage systems in Manila, they found out that “no system of sewerage, and only a very limited system of drainage, located mostly within the Walled City and also near the banks of the Pasig River on the north side, has ever been constructed in Manila.” The drainage system was composed mainly of stone drains laid on stone foundations with brick or stone coverings, and without manholes. These drains were also built in such a manner as to be quite deficient for sanitary purposes, and not entirely satisfactory for the removal of storm water from the streets. Several attempts to improve Manila’s esteros, including efforts for funding for various drainage and sewage systems in Manila, even at one point allowing the city to “to incur indebtedness, to borrow money an amount not exceeding $4,000,000 lawful money of the United States” in order to raise funds, for the purpose of constructing sewers in the city of Manila and furnish it with an adequate sewer and drainage system and supply of water, but nothing materialized.

In 1943, during the Japanese occupation, a master plan for drainage in Manila and suburbs was drafted; however, the war aborted its implementation. It took some six years after Philippine independence before another plan was prepared in terms of flood control but, typical in Philippine planning, whatever gains that accrued from the project were nullified by the steady onslaught of various ills spawned by unguided urban growth.

In the late ‘60s, President Marcos created a committee to conduct a complete and thorough survey and investigation of all the esteros in Manila. In 1967, Marcos Sr. asked Congress to include a ?175-million outlay for flood control projects to be spent in improving drainage facilities. Marcos Sr.’s Four-Year Development Plan (1974-1977) enumerated the investment requirements for more flood control projects: a total of $28.49 million from foreign loans and assistance and ?715.34 million in local currency, of which ?97 million was from Japanese commodity loans and ?116 million from USAID, plus local general revenue funds of ?501.82 million.

Succeeding administrations continued to allocate billions of pesos in flood control projects, most especially in Metro Manila. The allocation has continued to increase while the devastation caused by flooding has also risen annually. Technology has made it more difficult for politicians to rob the Filipino blind, although they are still able to do so as this administration has been successful at doing this since 2022. Marcos Jr. has continued his father’s legacy of funding billions for flood control projects which, as the recent flooding has shown, clearly have not been done properly, if at all. We are used to lying, thieving politicians, but when their lies and theft result to massive devastation and death, well, that is no longer acceptable.