LAST week, Metro Manila was submerged in floodwaters due to incessant rains brought about by the southwest monsoon intensified by Typhoon Carina.
Floodwaters reached neck-deep levels in some areas, and even higher in others.
People are questioning: If there were completed flood control projects, then why was the flooding so severe?
This has led Manila residents to doubt the projects boasted about by Marcos Jr. during his third State of the Nation Address (SONA).
‘’Why is there still flooding if there’s supposed to be for flood control? there is always flooding in the country. Where did the money go? To their pockets? That’s the question, huge, billions, but still like that,’’ according to ED Metro Manila resident.
‘’Of course, DPWH, the money is there, honestly, the money is there… It’s everywhere, you know, it’s everywhere. So it’s not effective, there’s corruption? There’s corruption there… It’s already in the pockets of politicians,’’ according to Noli Metro Manila resident.
‘’We all pay taxes equally, so why does this happen? We also don’t know where our tax money goes,’’ Mark Joseph Metro Manila resident said.
‘’I also wonder why there’s flooding now when it didn’t used to enter our area before. So I question that, right? There are budgets for flood control and all that, why is the flooding worse now? Why Manila is about to sink,’’ Linda Metro Manila resident said.
Even senators are puzzled despite the billions allocated for flood control.
Tomorrow, Thursday, the Senate will conduct an inquiry to scrutinize the project funded at P1 billion per day.
‘’This will be done by the Senate Committee on Public Works and Highways because it’s connected to the budget, the budget for flood control. They’re looking into the budget. They said there’s a budget of 1 billion a day for flood control. That’s 360 billion a year. They’re searching for why we’re still flooding, with such a huge flood control budget,’’ according to Sen. Cynthia Villar.
For the year 2025, the proposed budget for flood control is 257 billion pesos.
According to Sen. Cynthia Villar, the proposed budget should be thoroughly scrutinized.
‘’I think we should scrutinize where it will go because the flood control budget is very vague. Some even clean the river, how did you know they cleaned the river…will you dive under the river? It’s really implementation. For me, I implemented cleaning the river for ten years, and if I hadn’t watched over it, nothing would happen there,’’ Sen. Cynthia Villar said.
Ordinary Filipinos also voiced out their complaints, saying they don’t want to experience major disruptions due to severe flooding anymore.
‘’I hope they study it thoroughly, everyone is affected, not just the poor. Business owners, and all ordinary people are affected by these floods,’’ Linda Metro Manila resident said.
‘’It’s really a hassle, it’s so difficult, your belongings get ruined, and then you have to rebuild your house. It’s all trouble. Everyone experiences it. The kids can’t go to school. And then there are illnesses like leptospirosis, on top of the fevers and flu. It’s such a hassle,’’ ED said.
But based on the response of the Department of Public Works and Highways, it seems unlikely that Metro Manila will become flood-free anytime soon.
‘’I think—actually, there are still many low-lying areas in Metro Manila. Our goal here is to mitigate flooding problems in Metro Manila through what we call implementing engineering solutions and, of course, addressing social and environmental issues as well. Like here in Metro Manila, as we mentioned, Metro Manila is a small area with a large population, so it’s probably overpopulated at this point in time. More people, more businesses, more economic activities, more problems you will encounter,’’ according to Sec. Manuel Bonoan, DPWH.
