Floods breed crocs

“In the midst of every crisis lies great opportunity” is an adage taken to heart by members of Congress, who have made flood control projects a source of pork barrel as typhoons become more destructive.

In his State of the Nation Address in July, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. boasted that his administration had completed over 5,000 flood control projects, 656 of which were in Metro Manila.

Days later, super typhoon “Carina” struck, depositing a month’s worth of rain on the capital within 24 hours, killing dozens and leaving parts of the urban center submerged.

Since 2022, P500 billion has been allocated in the budget to address persistent floodin — money that has literally gone down the drain, as cities continue to be inundated.

The government currently has nine “flagship” flood control projects in the pipeline, each involving infrastructure to drain or trap excess water.

At a Senate inquiry in August, DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan admitted that most projects undertaken each year provide only “immediate relief,” while many big-ticket projects have faced delays.

Immediate relief contracts are favored in the yearly GAA, as these projects — often pet projects of legislators — are quick sources of kickbacks.

Dr. Mahar Lagmay, executive director of the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute, said most flood projects are designed for small and moderate floods.

During extreme flood events, such as those caused by typhoons “Ondoy” and “Carina”, infrastructure like dikes is often overwhelmed.

“What used to be rare events are becoming frequent,” said Lagmay. “Ondoy” in 2009 was a rare event that used to happen once in a century, but climate change has made such events more frequent.”

Since 2015, P1.14 trillion has been spent on flood control, with 48% of it under the current administration. Most projects are last-minute additions by legislators to the national spending plan.

Despite a lack of discussion on the design and methods to address flooding, a significant number of projects were added during the last week of budget legislation.

In the 2025 budget, P779.38 billion was allocated to the DPWH for flood control, accounting for about 12% of the total GAA.

Flood control projects often lack external monitoring mechanisms and escape rigorous scrutiny, making them vulnerable to corruption.

The failure of anti-flood projects to keep up with the increasing number of life-threatening weather disturbances each year also displaces education, as schools double as evacuation centers.

Classes are postponed so that displaced families can take shelter in classrooms, surviving on food donations.

The situation is appalling, as a significant portion of the annual budget is allocated to addressing the effects of worsening weather disturbances — an illusion that has even misled the president.

A holistic flood control plan appears to be a low priority in Congress, as it would render redundant the more trivial projects, such as clearing muck from drainage systems, which are made to appear as flood mitigation efforts.

The DPWH has long been complicit in accommodating these useless projects, as it is the implementing agency.

Opportunism in the budget process often costs lives in flood-prone areas, robbing communities of proper solutions to fatten the pockets of the “crocodiles” in suits and ternos in Congress.