03/09/2026
๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐.
Filipinos are drowning, not because our country lacks resources, but because the resources meant to protect our communities are failing to become the effective and lasting public services we need.
๐๐น๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฏ๐ฒ โ๐ป๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐น.โ
Historically, astronomical sums have been funneled into flood control efforts. The FY 2025 budget allocated โฑ๐๐๐.๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป to the Water Resources Development and Flood Control subsector (Department of Budget and Management, 2024), while the FY 2026 proposed budget initially earmarked โฑ๐๐๐.๐ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป for the same sub-sector, including โฑ๐๐๐.๐ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป for the Department of Public Works and Highways Flood Management Program (Department of Budget and Management, 2025).
However, these allocations soon came under intense scrutiny as allegations of fictitious projects, substandard construction, and other irregularities surfaced in government funded flood control projects. In response, the Department of Public Works and Highways struck off โฑ๐๐๐.๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป from its proposed budget, reducing it from โฑ๐๐๐.๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป to โฑ๐๐๐.๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป, following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.โs order to remove flood control funding from the agencyโs budget (Mangaluz, 2025).
Despite these massive expenditures, however, communities across the Philippines continue to experience devastating and recurring floods.
From Pampanga and Bulacan to other flood prone communities, families continue to face property damage and displacement during periods of heavy rainfall. The persistence of these impacts has intensified questions over whether public spending on flood control has translated into effective protection for vulnerable communities.
So we ask: ๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐น๐๐? ๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐?
Flood control is more than relief packs after a disaster. We need effective drainage systems, properly designed and maintained infrastructure, and long term solutions, not band-aid responses after lives and livelihoods have already been affected.
๐๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ผ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฒ๐
๐ฐ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ด๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐๐ฟ๐ฒ. Resilience is admirable, but it should never be used to normalize inadequate public services or excuse the absence of accountability.
The NUB Economics Society will continue to ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐, ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฝ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐. We call for effective, sustainable, and transparent flood control programs that protect Filipino communities before disaster strikes, not merely respond after.
๐๐๐ญ๐จ-๐๐๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ญ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ง ๐ก๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ.
References:
Department of Budget and Management. (2024). National expenditure program, fiscal year 2025.
Department of Budget and Management. (2025). National expenditure program, fiscal year 2026.
Mangaluz, J. (2025, September 17). DPWH strikes off P255 billion flood control funds from proposed budget. Philstar.com.
