Poe to DPWH: Ensure infra projects solve flooding

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Grace Poe has asked the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to lay down existing infrastructure and plans to control the ongoing flooding in Metro Manila.

During the Senate Finance Subcommittee’s deliberation on the DPWH’s 2024 budget, Poe said a number of areas in the Capital Region are prone to flooding following a sudden downpour that strands commuters, makes roads impassable and causes stalemate.

“Sa EDSA, kung umulan ng malakas, kahit sandali lang, baha na sa Camp Aguinaldo in tuloy tuloy na ang traffic hanggang Makati,” said the head of the Senate Public Service Committee.

(When it rains heavily, EDSA is easily flooded, even for a short time, especially near Camp Aguinaldo, and heavy traffic continues as far as Makati.)

“Can mga pump water ba kayo? Please message our office if you want to know water pumps nyo at kung gumagana, what is going on with a problem?” Poe added.

(Do you have water pumps? Please let our office know how many water pumps you have and whether they work, because what is actually the problem there?)

The senator also requested a report and video footage from the DPWH on the ongoing dredging projects in Metro Manila and nearby provinces to see its impact.

She says contractors hired for dredging projects must ensure that dredged material is disposed of properly.

“Itong dredging nakakatakot dahil minsan hindi naman ginagawa, hindi measurable. Can we ask the contractors and the DPWH to send us a daily video of what they are dredging, how much and where they are putting the materials they are dredging because if we don’t have proof that they are doing it right, we won’t do it in able to solve the eternal floods,” Poe said.

(Dredging is scary because sometimes it is not even done and it is not measurable. Can we ask the contractors and the DPWH to send us a daily video of what they are dredging, how much and where they are putting the materials they are dredging, because if If we don’t have proof that they’re doing it right, we won’t be able to solve the perpetual floods.)

READ: Rainwater will once again flood most parts of Edsa on Thursday

Poe emphasized that ensuring infrastructure projects are properly implemented is part of the Senate’s oversight function over departments that request their budgets from Congress.

“The government may identify the Kongreso budget as a problem for the DPWH,” Poe said.

(It would be a significant relief to our countrymen if the problem of flooding could be solved through the budget allocated by Congress to agencies like the DPWH.)