Deadly habagat exposes Marcos’ Floodgate mess

As the ghosts of alleged nonexistent, substandard and overpriced flood-control projects haunt the Marcos government, at least seven Filipinos were killed and more than 382,000 were displaced Sunday as relentless habagat rains triggered floods and landslides across Luzon, forcing major dams to open their gates.

The P1-trillion corruption scandal siphoned money meant for flood-control infrastructure into ghost projects and kickbacks. The huge amount went into pockets instead of pumps, dikes and drainage.

A rider in Antipolo City was fatally hit by a falling tree, while a boy drowned in a river in Candon City, Ilocos Sur on Saturday, bringing the unofficial death toll to eight at press time. The boy’s body was recovered Saturday.

The six other victims died in separate incidents: two drowned in Luna, La Union, and Alaminos City, Pangasinan; two were killed by a landslide in La Trinidad, Benguet; and two siblings in Rodriguez, Rizal, were hit by a falling boulder.

The rains pushed up water levels in major dams, with Angat Dam in Norzagaray, Bulacan, rising 6.40 meters in six days to 161.81 meters Sunday. The increase was driven by successive daily gains, including a 2.92-meter jump from Saturday to Sunday.

Ambuklao Dam in Bokod, Benguet had all eight gates open at a combined 14 meters Sunday, while six gates of Binga Dam were open at 15 meters, with the latter’s water level at 574.34 meters. The gates were opened as water levels continued to rise amid persistent rains.

La Mesa Dam in Quezon City was nearing its spilling level at 79.72 meters Sunday, just 0.43 meter below 80.15 meters, prompting warnings for low-lying areas in northern Metro Manila.

The NDRRMC said 86 evacuation centers were sheltering about 2,200 families, or 7,300 people, while another 1,132 families, or about 3,700 people, were staying outside evacuation centers.

NCR hit hard

It reported P105.5 million in infrastructure damage and P3.53 million in agricultural losses.

OCD Deputy Administrator Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said 182 areas in northern Luzon, including parts of CALABARZON and MIMAROPA, had been reported flooded, with landslides also recorded.

Metro Manila bore the brunt of the continuing rains, with flooding rendering several roads impassable to light vehicles in Quezon City, Las Piñas, Parañaque, Pasay, Mandaluyong, Malabon and Manila.

MMDA chairperson Romando Artes said the capital had received about 302 millimeters of rain since 5 August including about 226 mm upstream of the NCR, causing major creeks to overflow.

“The water on the roads cannot go into the creeks because they are also overflowing. The water cannot go out to the major waterways because their water levels are also high,” Artes said.

Artes said the MMDA had dredged major creeks, making them 2 to 3 meters deeper, but rainfall remained beyond their carrying capacity, while informal structures and other obstructions had narrowed some waterways.

“It is really the volume of rain and years of neglect of our waterways,” he said.

The MMDA deployed mobile pumps to Sucat in Muntinlupa, but Artes said pumping would be ineffective while creek levels remained high.

“Even if we pump, the water will just come back because the creeks have overflowed,” he said.

Flood of corruption

The flood-control scandal, dubbed “Floodgate,” erupted after investigations uncovered alleged ghost, substandard and overpriced projects.

Expelled Congressman Zaldy Co had accused no less than President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and House Speaker Martin Romualdez of pocketing kickbacks, but both denied wrongdoing.

The Ombudsman has since pursued complaints against Romualdez and Co over alleged anomalies.

Nearly a year ago, Senator Panfilo Lacson said in a privilege speech, titled “Flooded Gates of Corruption,” that P1.9 trillion was appropriated for flood-control management from 2011 to 2025, with P1 trillion allocated from 2023 to 2025.

“When we are speaking in trillions of pesos, we can expect our streets and low-lying communities to be flood-free when the rains pour,” he said.

Meanwhile, PAGASA had placed the Pampanga, Agno, Abra and NCR-Pasig-Marikina-Laguna de Bay river basins under flood watch.

The rains also collapsed part of the Forbes Park perimeter wall along EDSA-Ayala northbound, blocking two lanes. DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon said the structure and its construction materials would be investigated.

The Quezon City government evacuated 351 families, or 884 people.

In Batangas, the Philippine Coast Guard evacuated a mother who had recently given birth, her newborn and a family member from Mabini.

PAGASA said the enhanced habagat would continue bringing rains over parts of Luzon and the Visayas, with some areas expected to experience persistent rainfall through 11 August.