MANY flood control master plan being crafted must not only be technically comprehensive but also be designed to span multiple administrations, ensuring continuity despite changes in government, Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson stressed on Wednesday.
Lacson made the call after noting that the master plans of previous administrations were often discarded by the successors, leaving ordinary Filipinos to continue suffering from the effects of flooding.
‘There should be continuity and the master plan should be multi-administration in scope. It must be designed to cross administrations. Minor modifications can be made over time to adapt to new situations, but the core of the basic plan must remain,’ he said in a radio interview.
Lacson noted that during the Aquino administration, then Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson drew up a master plan for flood control, but this was disregarded by the Duterte administration.
Lacson noted that funding for flood control projects rose sharply across successive administrations. From 2011 to 2016, funding stood at P183.546 billion. This increased to P748.417 billion from 2017 to 2022, and surged to P1.0066 trillion from 2023 to 2025.
‘I recall Singson crafting a master plan that was cost-efficient and systematic. But when there was a change in administration, that plan was discarded. This has been the pattern where each administration insists on having its own master plan,’ he said.
Also on Wednesday, Lacson pointed out that civil engineers and their forensic expertise can play a major role in establishing accountability not only for flood control projects but for other infrastructure such as roads and bridges.
Lacson called on civil engineers’ associations to organize inspection teams that can examine roads, bridges and other infrastructure damaged by recent floods, and determine through forensic analysis whether the damage was due to structural design or implementation.
‘We can call on associations of civil engineers to help in the inspection of infrastructure, including those damaged by recent floods. They can use forensics to determine if the damage stemmed from faulty structural design or implementation,’ he said in an interview.
‘As of now, no one is being held accountable. If we are to go after those responsible, we must start inspecting projects implemented in the last five years or so,’ he added.
Lacson said that had Singson’s master plan been followed, some of the P1.939 trillion poured into the Department of Public Works and Highways alone for flood control could have been avoided or used more efficiently.
Worse, he said that based on the testimonies of former Public Works officials Roberto Bernardo, Henry Alcantara and Brice Hernandez, 35 to 40 percent of the P1.939 trillion could have been lost to corruption.
‘Kwentahin nyo na lang ang 35-40 percent ng P1.9 trillion kung magkano ang nawala. Tapos nandiyan pa ang baha [You can compute how much is 35 to 40 percent of P1.9 trillion-that is the amount lost to corruption. And yet, the floods are still there],’ he said.
Meanwhile, Lacson said forensic inspections could help establish responsibility and identify those who should be held accountable, including contractors, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials, and politicians who proposed the infrastructure projects.
‘The infrastructure projects must be inspected, and the contractors, DPWH officials and politicians who are proponents of the projects must be held accountable,’ he said.
This accountability drive should cover not only flood control projects but also other infrastructure projects whose failures may have been exposed by recent flooding, he added.