Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David on Sunday called for “ecological conversion” to address the country’s worsening flood problems, saying flooding is not merely an engineering concern but an ecological issue.

“What we need is not merely flood control,” David said in his Sunday homily. “We need ecological conversion. Flooding is, first of all, an ecological issue,” he stressed.

David said people must recognize their responsibility as stewards of the environment rather than treat nature as something to dominate.

“God placed us in this world not to rule over it as absolute masters, but to care for it as stewards,” he said.

He noted that the biblical creation story has often emphasized humanity’s dominion over nature, but warned that dominion without responsibility can become domination, leading to abuse and exploitation.

“And now we are seeing the consequences,” David said.

Corruption flayed

The cardinal also warned that politics and corruption continue to influence the country’s flood-control efforts.

“Politics must adjust to science, engineering, ecology, and the common good,” he said.

“If every politician pursues his or her own projects according to personal political interests, then we should not be surprised that we spend billions upon billions on flood control while the flooding grows worse every year,” he warned.

David acknowledged that preventing floods is also an engineering challenge, requiring infrastructure such as dikes, drainage systems, pumping stations, dredging and flood-control projects.

But based on experience, David said such measures would accomplish little unless they form part of a comprehensive master plan covering the country’s 18 major river basins.