Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano is calling for a national dialogue on how to finally address the country’s recurring flooding problem.
Cayetano said flood-control projects alone will not solve the problem, pointing to issues such as poor urban planning, improper land use, population growth, weak rural development and corruption.
“There has to be a national dialogue and discussion. Hindi debate [but] a national dialogue on transforming our nation and how we can ensure that as much as possible, it’s flood-free,” he said in a Facebook livestream on Sept. 4.
Cayetano said flooding becomes worse as cities become more crowded and more land is covered with concrete.
This puts additional pressure on drainage and sanitation systems, he said.
Cayetano also linked the situation to the lack of jobs, services and infrastructure in rural areas, which pushes more people toward cities.
For the senator, these problems should be tackled together instead of dealing with them one at a time.
“Hindi pwedeng y’ung beautiful, brilliant ideas na paisa-isa. Kailangan po kumpleto-rekado para ma-solve po y’ung flooding,” Cayetano said.
Corruption problem
Cayetano also warned that even the best flood-control plans would have limited results if corruption continues.
He said corruption has repeatedly returned despite reforms introduced by different administrations.
The senator cited controversies from the Martial Law period through succeeding administrations, including the jueteng scandal, fertilizer fund scam, Napoles pork barrel controversy and alleged ghost projects.
“There were changes, there were reforms, but there was no renewal, there was no transformation,” he said.
Cayetano said lasting change should also involve changing the country’s values, particularly when it comes to integrity and accountability.
“Wala pong pagbabago ‘pag walang pagbabago sa values,” he said.
He ended his livestream by asking Filipinos to pray for those affected by the recent bad weather and for lasting change in the country.IMT
