Writ of Kalikasan gains ground as SC compels gov’t to comment on flood control misuse

The Lawyers for Commuters Safety and Protection (LCSP) on Thursday disclosed that the Writ of Kalikasan they filed before the Supreme Court (SC) has gained ground, with the high tribunal ordering all respondents — the entire government bureaucracy — to respond to their petition.

LCSP founder and president Atty. Ariel Inton said they were pleased to receive the SC’s Notice compelling the respondents to comment on the case.

“This means that the high court saw the importance of protecting our Mother Earth. We will go after those who neglect to protect our environment,” Inton said in mixed Tagalog and English.

Showing the SC notice to the Daily Tribune, Inton said they received it on 15 October. The notice, signed by SC Clerk of Court Marife Lumibao-Cuevas, informed both petitioners and respondents that the Court En Banc, on 30 September, issued a resolution requiring the respondents to “COMMENT thereon within 10 days from notice of this resolution.”

“Meaning SC has given weight to our petition,” Inton said.

The LCSP, along with academics and environmental advocates, filed the petition seeking a Writ of Kalikasan against the entire government bureaucracy. The group accused officials of neglect, corruption, and misuse of public funds in flood control and infrastructure projects that allegedly worsened flooding and environmental degradation across the country.

Named respondents in the petition are the Office of the President; the Senate of the Philippines represented by Senate President Vicente “Tito” C. Sotto III; the House of Representatives represented by Speaker Martin Romualdez; and the Departments of Budget and Management (DBM), Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the Interior and Local Government (DILG). The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), River Basin Control Office (RBCO), all local government units nationwide, and “all project contractors doing and awarded flood control projects for the government” were also included.

The petitioners, led by lawyer Edna Selloriquez Pana, filed a 74-page petition on 10 September, urging the SC to hold these government officials accountable for what they described as “long years of neglect and willful destruction.”

“The havoc created by negligence, inefficiency, and corruption of those who are supposed to implement projects funded by taxpayers’ money are unconscionable and shocking,” the petition read.

The petition alleged that ghost projects, substandard dikes, collapsing bridges, and clogged waterways are visible proof of systemic failure, arguing that billions of pesos were wasted on flood control projects that neither prevented widespread flooding nor protected vulnerable communities.

Government contractors were accused of rigging bids and delivering defective infrastructure, while regulatory agencies allegedly failed to enforce environmental and construction laws.

The petitioners asked the High Court to compel the government to undertake a massive environmental cleanup, de-clog drainage systems, rehabilitate rivers and creeks, and disclose or design a comprehensive national flood control master plan. They also sought accountability for public officials and contractors allegedly involved in anomalous projects.

“Mother Earth deserves better for our inter-generational legacy,” the petitioners said, warning that with the looming La Niña later this year, the situation could worsen unless urgent action is taken.