VIA GRAPHIC PLUS — Senator Bam Aquino believes that funding should be allocated to genuine flood control projects similar to those implemented in Marikina City and Navotas City.
In an interview with Karen Davila on Headstart, Aquino said the Senate would closely scrutinize during the budget hearings how the more than P100 billion in unprogrammed funds in the 2027 national budget, which could potentially be allocated to flood control projects, would be used.
“Ang mangyayari diyan, itong P100 billion na iyan, aaralin namin. Anong mga lugar iyan? What are these projects?” Aquino said, stressing that the funds should be used for quality flood control projects such as those in Navotas and Marikina.
“Or these are real flood control projects like what we’ve seen in Marikina, in Navotas. Yung totoong infrastructure talaga na nakakatulong sa tao,” he added.
Aquino said projects should only be funded if they are as effective as those in Marikina and Navotas, which have demonstrated their effectiveness during recent typhoons and the Southwest Monsoon.
He also believes that the distribution of flood control projects should be carefully reviewed, with priority given to congressional districts that are frequently affected by flooding.
Aquino said he confronted former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan in 2025 over his statement that flood control projects were distributed equally, even in areas that do not experience flooding.
He said Bonoan also failed to respond when he questioned such an approach.
Despite receiving rainfall comparable to that brought by Typhoon Ondoy, floodwaters in Marikina City quickly subsided, particularly along the city’s major roads.
Under the leadership of Mayor Maan Teodoro, residents also observed improvements in Marikina City’s flood-control response compared with the devastation caused by Typhoon Ondoy in 2009.
Navotas, meanwhile, demonstrated the importance of sustained funding for flood control infrastructure that was developed and funded during the tenure of Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco.
Despite heavy rains, the city’s navigational gate, coastal dike, and network of pumping stations continued to operate to control floodwaters.
These measures also prevented seawater from entering communities during high tide while effectively draining rainwater from the roads.
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