The floodwaters have receded in Manila, but the stench of corruption remains. Despite ₱545 billion spent on flood control projects since 2022, Metro Manila and surrounding provinces remain as vulnerable as ever to nature's wrath—or man-made calamity through corruption
This isn't simply engineering oversight or city planning deficiency but a failure of public trust that causes loss of life, economic livelihood and the loss of an entire generation's future. Within the last month, at least 40 people died amid heavy flooding driven by the southwest monsoon and recent cyclones, with casualties recorded across Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Western Visayas and other regions, according to the NDRRMC as reported on Aug. 4 by Inquirer.net.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. no longer "fumes" about ghost projects, he has ordered lifestyle checks on all government officials amid the expanding probe into flood control irregularities.
The architecture of failure
The flood control industry has become a cartel of politically connected contractors who have turned public suffering into private profit. Recent Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearings chaired by Senator Rodante Marcoleta have revealed the shocking scope of this corruption network. Legacy Construction Corp., Alpha & Omega General Contractor & Development Corp., St. Timothy Construction Corp., and 12 other firms have cornered flood control projects across all regions—with only seven out of 15 invited contractors showing up to the Senate hearings, forcing the issuance of subpoenas for the rest
The calculations are disappointing. How does a contractor with ₱250,000 in capital secure a five-billion peso flood control project? How does another with ₱1.25 million in assets bag a ₱7.58-billion contract? The answer lies not in technical capabilities but in political connections. Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co's ties to Sunwest Inc., Senate President Francis Escudero's relationship with Centerways Construction's Lawrence Lubiano, and the Discaya family's ownership of multiple firms on the list reveal a web of influence that transforms public works into private enrichment schemes.
"Ghost projects"—flood control infrastructure that exists only on paper and budget allocations—are contempt for Filipino lives. Despite Marcos' fury, his administration's response remains reactive, with the launch of the "Sumbong sa Pangulo" website asking citizens to report anomalies. Citizen oversight is important, but it should always be employed as an adjunct to government auditing and enforcement infrastructure that failed to prevent the crimes in the first place.
The billionaire savior complex
The arrival of San Miguel Corporation's Ramon Ang portraying himself as the flood savior highlights the depths of our problem and the danger of privatizing public responsibility. Ang's claims that he can solve flooding in Metro Manila "at no cost to the people and no cost to the government,” welcomed by business groups and Marcos—suggest a thirst for private sector engagement while glossing over essential questions of accountability and corporate self-interest.
While Ang's credentials in infrastructure development are proven, with SMC completing numerous projects where government agencies struggled, will he explore the limits of private benevolence with flood control projects? Although Ang has shown improvement in various parts of Metro Manila, he has encountered serious difficulties in Bulacan, showing that no amount of funding can compensate for lack of comprehensive, science-based flood management strategies.
An economist at IBON Foundation, Sonny Africa, notes, "Public infrastructure for the common good should never be abandoned or given away to billionaires in pursuit of profit." The conditions attached to their goodwill may not be evident immediately but will be there nonetheless. Ang's intervention on "cleaning rivers" and relocating informal settlers provides temporary solutions to symptoms rather than causes. The cheers for private sector "solutions" should not drown out the need for competent and accountable government.
Education drowns in negligence
As students of Benilde, the consequences of our government's flood control failure are not vague policy concerns, they affect every aspect of academic life. Flooding has become so commonplace that academic institutions must plan around it. Storm signals forcing class suspension and floodwaters rendering campus facilities inaccessible translate into interrupted learning, which becomes cumulative in effect in one’s development.
For students who commute along Taft Avenue or move between campus buildings, these are not occasional moments of inconvenience but persistent impediments to academic progress.
The scientist group AGHAM—Advocates of Science and Technology for the People—decried what it called the "continued failure and negligence" of the Marcos administration in responding to disasters, with Secretary General Cleng Julve stating, "Rain is natural, but negligence is a decision. Climate change is real, but so is the incompetence of Marcos Jr."
Where is accountability?
The time for expressing shock and disappointment has passed. Marcos' anger over ghost projects and statements about revealing corrupt contractors are inadequate reactions to a crisis bred by systemic corruption and criminal actions. The Filipino people do not need more investigations—they need convictions. They do not need more promises—they need functional flood control systems that protect lives and property.
The Mayors for Good Governance (M4GG) coalition called for full transparency and accountability through immediate and full disclosure of all project details" from DPWH and concerned national agencies. However, transparency without consequences is merely a performance. The contractors who stole billions while Filipino families drowned need prosecution for economic sabotage, and government officials who enabled this corruption need investigation that must be made public.
The flood control crisis in the Philippines is not an act of nature—it is an act of man, with blame rooted in corruption, incompetence and institutional negligence. Every peso stolen from flood control projects is economic blood money paid for with Filipino lives. Every flooded street is a crime scene. Every day of lost school is a stain on our progress. If these thieves are not brought to account, our future will continue to drown in the sins of our feckless leaders.
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