THE Supreme Court (SC) has ordered President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr., the Senate, the House of Representatives and other government agencies, local government units and private contractors to answer a taxpayers’ petition for the issuance of a writ of kalikasan seeking to address the country’s perennial flood problems.
The order was issued by the Court en banc in a resolution dated September 30, 2025 but was made available to the public Thursday.
‘Acting on the petition for the issuance of a writ of kalikasan, the Court resolved, without giving due course to the petition, to require the respondents to comment thereon within 10 days from notice of this resolution,’ the Court said.
The SC also required the petitioners to comply, within five days from notice of the resolution, with the requirement to submit proper verification pursuant to the 1997 Rules of Civil Procedure, noting that the attentations in the petition are incomplete.
The Court’s order stemmed from the petition filed by lawyer Edna Selloriquez et al seeking to compel Marcos to exercise his control over various government agencies for the conduct of a massive clean-up of the environment.
They also asked the Court to direct the President to disclose or design the master plan for flood control in the country.
Likewise, the petitioners asked the SC to direct the Department of Interior and Local Government and local government units (LGUs) to conduct a comprehensive clean-up, clearing and de-clogging of silted rivers and streams, canals and embankments, drainage systems and other ways that contribute to the flooding problem.
The petitioners also said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) should be compelled to complete the rehabilitation of these waterways.
They also criticized the corruption and negligence on the part of government officials who are supposed to enforce and implement flood control projects.
‘The havoc or mayhem created by either malfeasance, mis-feasance and non-feasance, as well as the absolute negligence and deliberate corruption of those who are supposed to dispense, enforce and implement projects and programs funded by taxpayers money are unconscionable and shocking to the senses of the global humanity,’ the petitioners said.
The petitioners also asked the Court to order the prosecution of those who took advantage of the country’s flawed flood control systems to accumulate ill-gotten wealth.
Aside from Marcos, named as respondents were the leaders of the House and the Senate, DPWH, DILG, Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), River Basin Control Office (RCBO), all LGUs and all flood control project contractors.
A writ of kalikasan is a legal remedy available to a natural or juridical person, entity authorized by law, people’s organization, non-governmental organization (NGO), or any public interest group, on behalf of persons whose constitutional right to a balanced and healthful ecology is violated or threatened.