Solon calls VP Sara’s Davao flood claims unfair

Manila Representative Joel Chua said that Vice President Sara Duterte's criticism of the current administration, alleging negligence regarding the Davao flood control project, was unfair.

“I think that the comment made by our Vice President is unfair because, first of all, if you look at the amount of water that fell here during the last typhoon, it is even more intense than on Ondoy, and we saw it last during Ondoy; Metro Manila was also severely flooded,” Chua said in a Saturday news forum.

This comes after Duterte shared on Friday her personal experiences of calamities striking her home province.

She called on the administration to fund Davao City’s Master Plan and Feasibility Study for Flood Control and Drainage, which was created during the term of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte.

"Maybe you want to fund infrastructure projects that are in line with the master plan? Or maybe there is still doubt about it because the mayor is a ‘Duterte’ and better just demolish it?” she said.

Duterte added, “Leadership is faithfulness to the oath of office. Leadership is faithful service to the people. Leaders should only say one thing: 'It is done.' Leaders should not be motivated by cash, cocaine, or champagne. And, most certainly, leaders should not be made to hold champagne glasses.”

In defense, Chua said that the current Marcos administration took office just two years ago.

“If she’s saying that the master plan should have been followed for the flood control [project], it should have been done in her father's term. they should be the first to implement,” he said, adding that Davao is the beneficiary of the largest flood control projetc, which is P51 billion in just one district.

“If we combine those two districts in Davao, it seems, if I'm not mistaken, more than P80 billion—and yet, when there was a strong typhoon, Davao was also flooded. So I think that her statement is a bit uncalled for and unfair when it comes to this,” he said.

State weather bureau PAGASA said that Typhoon Carina, which enhanced the southwest monsoon, dumped more rain than storm Ondoy in 2009.

‘Carina’ had a recorded 24-hour rainfall of 461.4 millimeters (mm) at the Science Garden station, surpassing Ondoy's 24-hour rainfall record of 455 mm.

The typhoon exited the country on 25 July, with agricultural damages exceeding P3 billion.