EDITORIAL — Water, water everywhere, again

There was no super typhoon, but many areas of Metro Manila were inundated with floodwaters over the weekend as heavy rain poured, induced by the monsoon interacting with two other weather disturbances.

Amid the heavy rainfall on Saturday, a perimeter wall of Forbes Park subdivision in Makati collapsed, blocking two northbound lanes of EDSA.

Inspecting the collapsed wall, Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said substandard materials were apparently used in the construction. He said the wall was made of Hardiflex or fiber cement board, but was designed to look like a more expensive concrete wall. Hardiflex is a fire-resistant, pest-proof, lightweight board that is typically used for ceilings and wall dividers.

As vehicles crawled through flooded streets and homes were once again submerged in several inches of water, people were inevitably reminded of the still unresolved anomalies in flood control projects.

Following the eruption of the flood control corruption scandal last year, many government infrastructure works were suspended, including flood mitigation projects. As residents in several areas complained, some flood control projects such as the concreting of creek or river beds actually aggravated flooding in their communities.

Disaster response and mitigation experts had pushed for speedy assessments and corrective interventions to prepare for the next flooding season several months away. But with people spooked by the flood control scandal and multiple high-profile investigations, construction activities have yet to fully recover.

Between July 2022 and May 2025, about P545 billion was allocated for 9,855 flood control projects. Flooding across the country from recent weather disturbances, including the latest over the weekend in Metro Manila, indicates how the public funds were spent.

The heavy rainfall at least finally lifted the water in Angat Dam above its critical level, with several other dams recording spilling levels.

But the weekend’s flooding – with more expected as the country is in the middle of the monsoon and tropical cyclone season – is a reminder of the urgency of holding accountable those who pocketed public funds meant for flood control, or used their discretionary powers over such projects to collect billions in kickbacks.

The nation is waiting for those responsible for the suffering of millions to face the stiffest punishment.