Environment Secretary Raphael Lotilla on Wednesday warned contractors involved in flood control projects that failure to secure proper documents and follow environmental procedures will not be tolerated.
“Definitely, if they are violating the laws, we will have to take action against them,” Lotilla said during a press conference at Hilton Manila.
Lotilla emphasized the need for a broader approach to flooding, aligning with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s call to focus on protecting critical watersheds.
“To address the flooding problem, we have to start from the critical watersheds,” he said. “That’s why the President has stressed the importance of keeping the standing forest intact in these critical watershed areas.”
He also stressed the need for an integrated flood control plan using river basins as the planning units, noting that these systems serve multiple purposes, including drinking water, irrigation, and hydropower.
Meanwhile, Environment Undersecretary Atty. Jonas Leones clarified the role of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in issuing Environmental Compliance Certificates (ECCs) and conducting Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs).
“Our ECC or EIA case is just an administrative case,” Leones said. “Usually, for example, under PD 1586, there is a prescribed penalty — usually P50,000 per violation of conditions, but that's minimal.”
He said the more significant concern is the potential damage caused by flood control projects.
Leones noted that while EIAs are typically conducted before or during project implementation, many of the questioned structures were completed years ago.
“We’ll still look into whether there’s liability in terms of fines and penalties,” he said. “The focus now is on assessing the damage to the environment and the people.”
Lotilla also welcomed President Marcos' recent directive to conduct lifestyle checks among government officials amid the probe into anomalous flood control projects, saying the department will cooperate.