Flushing Laguna de Bay

While the President recently ordered a review of flood control projects, it would serve the government equally well to revisit the post-disaster needs assessments (PDNAs) conducted after tropical storm Ondoy and Typhoon Pepeng (2009), as well as Typhoon Yolanda (2013).

- MARVIN TORT

Our present situation demands a hard look at how both public and private sectors have acted on the recommendations of those PDNAs — whether by implementing, funding, planning, or unfortunately, in some cases, disregarding them.

One cannot help but wonder how much of the damage from more recent typhoons, and even ordinary monsoon rains, could have been mitigated had we followed through on the reports’ recommendations. In 2009, it took a disaster of the magnitude of Ondoy or Pepeng to bring Metro Manila to its knees. Now, 15 years later, mere monsoon rains are enough to paralyze the metropolis.

These PDNAs, prepared with support from the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and other development partners, offered blueprints for making the country more resilient. Their recommendations focused on building resilient infrastructure, modernizing flood management, improving planning and disaster risk reduction (DRR), and enhancing institutional coordination.

The NEDA Board* approved the Metro Manila Flood Management Master Plan in 2012. And this led to the upgrading of many pumping stations in the metropolis. While these efforts have contributed to incremental improvements, the question remains: Are we genuinely building back better?

The “Build Back Better” principle is frequently invoked in speeches and planning documents, but its integration into national and local rehabilitation strategies is far from consistent. I believe this principle should be a guiding parameter as the government reviews flood control projects. Are new projects truly designed for resilience, or are we still rebuilding to previous standards, making us vulnerable to the same old risks?