How flood control projects fail the poor in the Philippines
Poor construction, corruption and 'ghost' flood control projects plague disaster mitigation efforts in the Philippines.
- Philippines relies on infrastructure for flood control
- Advocacy group flags 'misalignment' of flood control projects
- 'Holistic' risk management called for to protect communities
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President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. formed a commission in September to investigate possible corruption in flood control projects, after thousands of angry Filipinos marched in the streets of Manila on Sept. 21 to demand accountability and transparency from the government.
“We were really disappointed when we heard how big the funds were for flood control, and we were left behind,” said Dela Cruz, who has lived by the Angat River for more than 40 years.
When heavy rains fall, a concrete dam releases water from the Angat reservoir to prevent its overflow, exposing downstream communities like Dela Cruz’s to riverbank erosion.
“A state engineer kept telling us they will build a wall to protect us from disasters… but I hope the government will do something about this soon and not wait for another major storm to hit us,” said Dela Cruz.
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