Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson raised alarm over the persistent flooding across the country despite the government having spent nearly P2 trillion on flood control measures over the past 15 years.

Lacson questioned the effectiveness of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), which has overseen the massive spending since 2011.

"Isn’t it absurd that the rise of floodwaters in our malas (unfortunate) country is directly proportional to the increase in the annual budget for the national government’s flood management program?” Lacson wrote in his recent post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

He continued, “For 15 years since 2011, the DPWH is supposed to have spent almost 2 trillion pesos, and yet…”

Lacson cited figures showing that the government has allocated an average of P350 million per day for flood management. Yet, large parts of the country continue to suffer from seasonal floods and weather-related disasters.

“P2 trillion means an average daily expense of almost P350 million for the past 15 years. A midsize Cutter Suction Dredger costs anywhere from US$1.5 million to US$8 million,” he said.

Lacson also pointed out the apparent misallocation of resources.

He noted that the same budget could have been used to purchase a new Cutter Suction Dredger, a type of vessel used for dredging rivers and waterways every day for the past 15 years.

“At US$5 million or P285 million with the current peso-dollar exchange rate, we can actually buy one dredging machine every day and use part of the excess of P65 million for operating expenses and maintenance,” he said.

Deadly flood impact

Lacson's remarks followed the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC)'s latest report on casualties from recent tropical cyclones Crising, Dante, and Emong, along with the enhanced southwest monsoon.

NDRRMC logged that at least 25 people have died, 8 are missing, and over 3.85 million individuals across 1.065 million families have been affected by the severe weather disturbance.

The senator emphasized that the tragedy and displacement brought by the floods make the lack of tangible results from flood control spending even more unacceptable.

Budget anomalies

Lacson had earlier flagged what he described as inequitable and distorted allocations in the proposed 2025 national budget, citing specific cases such as a small barangay in Oriental Mindoro that was allotted P1.9 billion, and a small town in the same province receiving P10 billion for flood control.

He vowed to scrutinize the flood control budget in upcoming Senate hearings, saying he will “grill the concerned officials” on how such large sums were allocated and what they have accomplished.

Lacson, known for his fiscal oversight and anti-corruption stance, urged transparency in the planning and execution of infrastructure projects, especially those as critical as disaster mitigation.