When the Rain Unveils the Truth
In the Philippines, flooding has become as predictable as the seasons. The first few drops seem harmless, but soon enough, streets disappear under brown, dirty water. Motorcycles stop working, and cars are trapped and can’t move. Children are forced to be sent home from school, and workers roll up their pants and walk through knee-deep water, carrying their shoes above their heads so they won’t get soaked. This is not an unusual scene; rather, it happens every year, every rainy season, in cities, towns, markets, and even near government offices. What is unusual is that despite billions of pesos spent on flood control, the same story repeats without change.
We have heard the promises countless times: “Thousands of flood control projects completed” and “Billions allocated to keep you safe.” But if those words were true, why are we still drowning after just one heavy rain? Where exactly are these projects? Why do the same places flood again and again? The government is quick to offer reasons like accidents, damaged equipment, or bad weather. But if a billion-peso system collapses over one accident, was it ever built to last?
Even the numbers raise questions. In 2024, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. proposed a ₱500-billion master plan for flood mitigation to be completed by 2037. Yet later, ₱16.7 billion from the 2025 budget for flood control was cut, labeled “redundant.” How can it be redundant when entire cities are still drowning every monsoon? The President himself reported that more than 5,500 flood control projects were finished, including 650 in Metro Manila. But during Typhoon “It’s Weak,” major roads like España and Taft still flooded badly. If these projects exist, why aren’t they working?
Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri warned that “chopping up” the flood control budget only opens more doors for corruption. That warning now rings louder than ever. Billions are spent annually, but not once has the country been free from catastrophic flooding. This is why many Filipinos questioned whether the money truly went to projects or quietly slipped into politicians’ pockets.
The Philippines topped the World Risk Index as the highest-risk country for disasters in 2024. And just in July, three consecutive typhoons, namely Crising, Dante, and Emong, entered the country, bringing massive floods. Still, the President remarked that flooding is “not unusual” and “not an emergency.” But tell that to the people of Marikina who prepare for evacuation every time the rain falls, or to commuters along EDSA who watch the road turn into a river.
Filipinos have always been called resilient, but that resilience exists because we have no choice. Being strong in this country is not a choice; rather, it’s a survival skill. Resilience should never replace responsibility. What we need is a government that treats flood control not as a project to announce, but as a duty to fulfill.
Floods don’t just reveal weak infrastructure, but they reveal weak leadership. Real projects leave proof: they are marked, mapped, maintained, and functional even when no one is watching. Promises are easy to make, but without delivery, they are nothing more than empty words floating on rising water.
The truth is, the real disaster is not the rain nor the overflowing rivers, but it’s the political system that allows billions to vanish with nothing to show. Each failed project is another life put at risk. Each broken promise is another family forced to rebuild from nothing. Rain will keep falling, storms will keep coming, but it is our leaders’ choices that decide whether the water will drown our homes or drain away harmlessly. Until they are held accountable, we will keep drowning not just in floods, but in lies.
