Senator Pangilinan urges national flood strategy, audit of flood control funds

Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan is calling on the national government to establish a comprehensive flood management plan and conduct a full audit of flood-control funds as heavy monsoon rains continue to submerge communities across the country.

Enhanced southwest monsoon rains have triggered widespread flooding across Metro Manila and neighboring provinces over the past week, forcing thousands to evacuate and disrupting school, work, and public transit.

“Flooding should not be normalized. Our countrymen shouldn't have to live in fear every time it rains,” Pangilinan said in Filipino. “It’s the same story every time: flooded streets, submerged homes and schools, and families forced to evacuate.”

The lawmaker underscored the broader economic and social toll of recurring floods.

“Beyond the immediate danger, flooding causes massive disruption,” he added. “Children miss school, businesses are forced to close, and workers can’t get to their jobs.”

Criticizing the country’s reliance on reactive disaster response, Pangilinan urged a shift toward proactive, science-based, and coordinated infrastructure planning.

“We need a long-term, national flood management plan where projects are fully integrated,” he pointed out. “Even if we spend billions, if these projects aren't interconnected, our roads and communities will keep sinking.”

Amid ongoing controversies over public works spending, Pangilinan also demanded a transparent accounting of all flood-control funds, specifying project locations, costs, contractors, completion statuses, and measurable outcomes.

“Every Filipino has the right to know where every peso allocated for flood control went,” he said. “We cannot have projects that exist only on paper while people remain underwater every time it rains.”

Pangilinan stressed that any future national strategy must prioritize prevention, ensure full transparency, and account for the long-term impacts of climate change rather than merely reacting to current disasters.