The detail is as important as the essential is. When it is inadequate, it destroys the whole outfit.
— French fashion designer Christian Dior

MAYPAJO, Caloocan City — From what I know, officials in the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) are all appointees or career professionals and not elected by the people—so no need for them to expend efforts to stay in position by courting our electorate to gain votes.

All that the MMDA officials need to do is to fulfill the mandate given to them in their appointment, which is to oversee that the agency does it job. In the meantime, it's rank and file employees are expected to complete the tasks given to them by their 'bosses'.

So why has the Commission on Audit (CoA) flagged the MMDA and exposed the agency for its “poor strategies” that has deprived the public of much-needed benefits?

So much for its repeated assurances that it has been actively working on various infrastructure projects to address Metro Manila’s perennial flood problem—the truth is that it appears the metropolis will always be submerged in flood water every time there is a severe storm that strikes the country.

In CoA's 2023 report, state auditors mentioned that 22 projects worth over ₱510 million under the agency's Metro Manila Flood Management Project Phase I were “not completed” on time under the contract.

This crucial project, backed by a US$415-million loan from the World Bank (WB), aims to rehabilitate 36 pumping stations and build 20 new ones this year. However, only two stations have been rehabilitated and none of the new ones have been completed as of September the current year.
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CoA cited that the delays of up to 310 days cost the government ₱32.9 million, covering five years from 2018 to 2023, in commitment fees—or the nonrefundable charge imposed on borrowers with an unwithdrawn loan balance—to creditor banks.
State auditors claimed that the funds for the delayed infra projects could have been used for other priority programs and projects.
Aside from the flood management project, there were 29 other initiatives worth ₱371.03 million that the MMDA failed to implemented due to cancellations and inability to hold early bidding activities. This resulted in the nonattainment of the intended objectives of the projects and deprived the public of benefits there from, quoting from the CoA report.

The audit commission pointed to “poor strategies in the monitoring and implementation of programs and projects, resulting in significant revisions in the target completion time.” And while the MMDA approved 22 subprojects for a contract extension, CoA noted that the agency's practice of pushing back completion targets “may be an indication of ineffective planning.”

CoA's audit report covers projects that have been ongoing up to last year, but the impact of inadequate flood control infrastructure was certainly felt this year when several typhoons hit the National Capital Region and highlighted the lack of a flood control master plan.

In July, severe tropical storm Carina and the enhanced southwest monsoon or habagat clearly showed how antiquated our drainage system is. This had been built in the 1970s and over the years is heavily silted with waste. Ironically, the Carina flooding happened within days of President Marcos’ State of the Nation Address where he reported that over 5,500 flood control projects have been completed between July 2022 and May 2024.

The came November and in the wake of the damages wrought by super typhoon Kristine, President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. couldn't avoid admittinf that the flood control infrastructure was clearly not enough.

The president's words were dubious: “We have flood control infrastructure, but they’re not enough because in the whole history of the Philippines, we haven’t experienced anything like this."

Are we attributing the floods to the changes in weather patterns that have brought increasingly severe and unpredictable storms? So now we blame nature and not our inadequacy.

The massive floods that were seen last year due to intermittent and heavy rains—not even typhoons—in many parts of Metro Manila should already have been a wake-up call. The government should have reacted in haste to rehabilitate and upgrade the old infrastructure, particularly the outdated drainage systems.

There is simply no excuse for inefficiencies in implementing these projects considering that floods in Metro Manila have long been an issue. Some of the causes of delay cited in the CoA report, such as customs clearances and port congestion, could easily be addressed by improving the process and removing red tape while reasons, such as changes of design and specifications for custom-made goods and reconceptualization, could be avoided if those in charge of the planning had solid strategy and foresight.
In view of these facts, MMDA officials should be held accountable for the delays that stalled nearly half of its 58 flood control projects. Worse is that the agency only had a 12-percent accomplishment rate for its performance targets for “percentage decrease in flooded areas” under flood mitigation measures.

In conclusion, unless something concrete is done and aforementioned issues are addressed, Metro Manila's flooding problem will persist and the same excuses will be repeated every year at the expense of the greater public good.

So, what say you, Atty. Romando Artes?

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FOR your comments or suggestions, complaints or requests, just send a message through my email at cipcab2006@yahoo.com or text me at cellphone numbers 09171656792 or 09171592256 during office hours from Monday to Friday. Thank you and mabuhay!