A year after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address exposed the hugely controversial flood control scandal, Bulacan Vice Governor Alex Castro said the province’s flooding situation remains unchanged – the flooding just got worse.
Castro said the flood control scandal may have exposed the people and projects behind the controversy, but it has yet to bring noticeable improvements to Bulacan’s perennial flooding.
“Pero yung pagbaha, feeling ko, sa nakita natin sa ground hindi nabago. Ang pagbabago lang na nakita natin, mas lalo pang naging baha ang lugar namin,” Castro said in an interview on Bilyonaryo News Channel’s At The Forefront with Atty. Karen Jimeno.
Marcos had cited Bulacan during his SONA last year after identifying it as the province with the biggest number of flood control projects in the country.
Castro admitted that he was surprised at the time and questioned where the numerous projects were located.
Following Marcos’ SONA, Castro disclosed that he initiated a committee and public hearing at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan after delivering a privilege speech seeking updates from the Department of Public Works and Highways.
“After ng SONA nung Pangulo, nagkaroon ako ng committee hearing, public hearing sa Sangguniang Panlalawigan dahil nag-privilege speech kasi ako na humihingi ako update sa DPWH dahil after a year ng flood control scandal, wala pang coordination sa amin,” Castro said.
He said the provincial board summoned DPWH officials to provide an accounting of unfinished projects and discuss projects still to be implemented in Bulacan.
Castro said Gov. Daniel Fernando had also issued an executive order calling for coordination on flood control projects after the scandal broke.
While the new DPWH leadership has held meetings with provincial officials, Castro said the province still has no complete update on the agency’s succeeding projects and unfinished works.
600 unfinished infra projects, 40 percent for flood control
The meetings, however, yielded one significant finding that about 600 infrastructure projects in Bulacan remain unfinished with roughly 40 percent involving flood control.
Castro warned that some of the unfinished facilities may be contributing to, rather than preventing, flooding.
“Meron diyan mga floodgates na hindi gumagana, meron diyan mga pumping stations na walang pump, meron diyan mga floodwalls na putol,” Castro said.
These incomplete projects, he said, could prevent floodwaters from draining properly.
“So mas lalong mahihirapan lumabas ang tubig dahil putol. So hindi siya nakakatulong, nakakalala pa,” he added.
Castro said the revelation of names during Senate and House hearings was among the few changes brought about by the flood control scandal.
“Ang nabago dahil nakita na ng mga tao kung sino-sino ang mga nasa likod,” he said.
Castro was referring to individuals whose names surfaced during congressional investigations as allegedly involved in the controversy.
But for Bulacan residents, Castro said the more important question remains whether the province’s flooding has improved.
“Ang nabago dahil nakita na ng mga tao kung sino sino ang mga nasa likod… mga pangalan na mga binaggit sa mga hearings sa Senate and Congress, na mga pangalan na maaring mga sangkot sa flood control scandal na nangyari sa Bulacan. Pero yung pagbaha, feeling ko, sa nakita natin sa ground, hindi nabago. Ang pagbabago lang na nakita natin mas lalu pang naging baha ang lugar namin,” he said.#