EDITORIAL - Call for accountability

There’s no stopping nature’s fury, but there are ways to prepare for it and mitigate its impact. At least that’s the theory behind disaster preparedness. Governments are supposed to put in place measures for immediate response as well as long-term projects to address disasters both natural and man-made.

Such preparedness should be easier in areas that deal regularly with the same calamities. In the case of the Philippines, these are earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tropical cyclones and monsoons along with the floods and deadly landslides that they spawn. Public officials have been talking for years about climate change and attending international conferences to discuss the risks posed by extreme weather and the appropriate responses. Scientists have released detailed hazard maps for the entire country, covering earthquakes, typhoons and floods.

And yet here we are again, flailing around in floodwaters, surprised by torrential rainfall spawned by a moderately strong tropical cyclone. Among the hardest hit, as of yesterday when Severe Tropical Storm Kristine exited the country, was the Bicol region, where floodwaters rose so rapidly thousands were trapped in offices and commercial centers last Wednesday night.

As expected, the catastrophic flooding prompted calls for a review of flood control programs. Because the current president of the Senate, Francis Escudero, is a native of Sorsogon in Bicol, perhaps there can be an honest-to-goodness review that will result in measures that will improve the utilization of funds for flood control.

Studies conducted by multilateral and foreign aid institutions have shown that flood control programs are among the biggest sources of corruption in this country. No specific area has been cited, but there are some common practices. For example, while construction of flood control dikes can be monitored and their completion verified, this is difficult to do in the dredging of waterways. With the latest incarnation of the pork barrel – unprogrammed appropriations – rising exponentially every fiscal year – the public could see more allocations for such flood control projects, along with fertilizer assistance in non-farming areas.

In the wake of Kristine, Escudero is calling for accountability in the utilization of the billions in public funds allocated for flood control. The people – especially those still reeling from the latest floods – await the outcome of this call.