Sen. Joel Villanueva raises his concerns over the urgency of addressing the country’s perennial flood problems and the need for accountability in government spending.
According to Villanueva, the Philippines has spent over P1.14 trillion over the past 10 years in flood control projects. This year alone, he said, P23 billion was allocated for a for a Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) feasibility study. “I want to know the more than 5,500 completed DPWH flood control projects mentioned during the State of the Nation Address. Where are they located? Are they integrated in a master plan? I hope this unli-hearings about the unli-floodings will finally be resolved,” Villanueva said in Filipino.
The senator likewise questioned the effectiveness of the reclamation projects. While he has nothing against reclamation, Villanueva said he has yet to see a successful one. He cited the recent flooding in the Senate as an example. “For the first time, the Senate experienced flooding that reached almost waist-high right outside our building.
We were all surprised because it was the first time the water level got that high. And when you look outside the Senate, Manila Bay are no longer visible. It’s just common sense for us, even though we’re not experts, to think that the reclamation has something to do with it because there's nowhere for the water to go?” Villanueva said in Filipino.
He observed that the flood situation in the country had worsened and called for concerted efforts to solve the problem. (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)
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