PH can't be an upper-middle income country without solution to flooding: Quimbo

MANILA — The Philippines cannot be an upper-middle income country unless it resolves the flooding problem, according to House Committee on Appropriations Vice Chairperson and Marikina 2nd District Representative Stella Quimbo.

She issued the statement during the House panel deliberations on the proposed 2025 national budget on Monday, as she urged the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) to review the flood control plan.

“How can we even think about being an upper middle income country in 2028? How can we even think of being the number 14 richest country in 20-whatever-78? We can't even control floods… Why will somebody invest, if tomorrow, mawawala lahat ng investments mo, mawawala dahil sa tubig ba?” Quimbo said.

“I'm telling you, we cannot be an upper middle income country if we don't do anything serious about finding a permanent solution for floods,” she added.

“Ondoy happened. May plano naman na nangyari 2010, but it's 2024, nangyari ulit. So, siguro, sinasabi ng Panginoon, kailangan n’yo ulit repasuhin kung ano ba talaga ang gusto ninyo mangyari,” the lawmaker told the DBCC.

Quimbo was referring to Typhoon Carina, which caused damage to agriculture and infrastructure in Metro Manila and neighboring provinces, estimated by the Department of Finance to total around P2.4 billion.

Finance Secretary Ralph Recto proposed to focus the budget for flood control to one region at a time.

“My personal opinion of the matter, if we're spending roughly P365 billion in flood control nationwide, I suppose we should be able to concentrate first, for example, Metro Manila. 30% of GDP is Metro Manila. Solve the problem in Metro Manila, then we move to the next region. Rather than hati-hati, you don't solve anything,” he said.

“Tama po kayo, Madam Chair, we need to update our master plan. Ang dapat po sana ay regularly, kung pwede po ay every three years, especially in metropolitan and sub-urban areas. Some of the interventions are as follows, adopt an integrated water resource management principles, improve flood information and warning systems, implement non-use plans, utilize runoff for multi-use,” Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman added.

For National Economic and Development Authority Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, the continuity of implementing the flood control plan from one administration to another is also crucial.

“The other problem is continuity. Madam Chair, that we can't seem to transition roadmaps, plans, from one administration to another,” he said.

“I think what we also need is a whole of government approach to the flood control. And we hope that the creation of the Department of Water will help. Because as of now, there are too many agencies involved in different aspects of water- irrigation, to dams, to floods, they are not synchronized. So I think the Department of Water and then you have the DPWH, dalawa nilang mag-uusap kasi ngayon, mahigit sampu ang kausap,” Balisacan added.