Flood control, flood control, flood control. That has been the biggest issue the nation has been talking about last week.
Revelation after revelation were uncovered last week both during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearings and during President Bongbong Marcos' own inspection tours, during which it was discovered that projects that were put on paper as "completed" and paid for were actually never started at all.
(Not surprising at all; remember how the San Pedro City northbound exit – which was finally opened this month after eight long years of stalled construction – was listed as "completed" by the Department of Public Works and Highways a few years back?)
As I looked at the reports of billions of pesos wasted on unfinished flood-control projects, of the 15 contractors who allegedly pocketed those billions without even starting them, I couldn’t help but wonder but think: what was the situation here in Laguna province?
Take note that of the ten provinces where, according to the recent revelations, the bulk of flood-control projects were assigned to, Laguna wasn’t even included.
This, despite the fact that our province is now also bearing the brunt of regular floods that had, unfortunately, become a part of life during the rainy season.
Heck, in the subdivision where I live, flash floods during heavy rains have become so part of the routine, not to mention cleaning up the masses of debris and trash that were piled up on our street after the rains.
It’s humiliating, to say the least, that it had to take San Miguel Corporation (SMC) to even kickstart dredging operations in at least three rivers in our province – not to mention SMC President Ramon S. Ang’s offer to solve Laguna’s flooding problem at “no cost to the government.”
Which brings to my mind an important question: how much did the national government spend on flood-control in Laguna province in the first place?
I remember that one particular excuse local executives often give to their constituents when asked about why flood-control projects have been given low priority here in Laguna province is, “kulang ang pondo” or “kailangang hingin natin sa national government (e.g., the Department of Public Works and Highways or the Department of Budget and Management).”
I know many constituents have dismissed such alibis as “defeatist” behavior or simply a “palusot” by politicians to avoid accountability.
But as I listened to the staggering allegations of widespread corruption in dealing not just with our flood control but in our infrastructure in general, I’m beginning to think that perhaps, perhaps there’s a pebble of truth in that “walang inilaang pondo.”
And this is where Lagunenses can demand accountability for the people who were supposed to hold the power of the purse in our government: their representatives in Congress.
Now is the high time to ask your local legislator: “Ano po ba ang ginawa ninyo para sa flood control sa ating lalawigan at halos walang inilaan sa atin gayong tayo ang laging apektado ng baha tuwing tag-ulan?”
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