It's the rainy season and once again the nation is being flooded. Who is to blame? The lazy public, that's who. If only the unwashed masses did not toss their garbage in the waterways then they would not become clogged and there would be no flooding.
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| https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/641357/disaster-officials-blame-flooding-in-cebu-on-lack-of-discipline |
The persistent flooding in Cebu has been blamed on the community's lack of discipline, which officials say is undermining the effectiveness of flood control measures.
This came after several areas in the province were inundated by heavy rains brought by the southwest monsoon (habagat) and a low-pressure area that began affecting Cebu on June 6 and is expected to continue until Wednesday, June 11.
The Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) made the statement during a news forum on Tuesday, June 10, as calls for better disaster preparedness mount amid worsening weather patterns.
Engineer Wilson Ramos, Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer III, said that flood mitigation efforts, including desilting and drainage clearing, are conducted regularly before the onset of the rainy season.
However, these are often rendered ineffective due to residents' continued improper waste disposal.
"Our problem is really our community. What first came out of the drainages? Garbage," Ramos said.
"No matter how much we do desilting, if the people throw away garbage, [there is still nothing]," he added.
Similar problems have been identified in Cebu City's major rivers, where household waste and human activities are threatening freshwater systems.
According to the 2025 River Assessment Report released by the Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CCENRO), many rivers are now classified as biologically dead or in critical condition.
The report flagged untreated wastewater, detergent sachets, and organic debris as among the top household pollutants clogging the city's waterways.
It also cited other contributing factors such as deforestation, industrial waste discharge, and agricultural runoff.
"Even the cleanest rivers, if left unprotected, will eventually be polluted," the report warned.
In a 2024 report by CDN Digital, Engineer Maria Nenita Jumao-as of the University of San Carlos – Water Resources Center Foundation Inc. (WRCFI) emphasized that flooding in Cebu cannot be attributed to a single cause.
"When asked about the causes of flooding in Cebu, I cannot give a straightforward answer because there are many factors involved," she said.
Among the causes she cited for flooding in Cebu were clogged drainage systems, lack of regular maintenance, rapid urbanization, deforestation, improper waste disposal, and weak enforcement of environmental laws.
WRCFI is a Cebu-based private research institution providing technical assistance on water resource management to both government and private sector agencies.
The issue of public discipline has also been raised at the national level. In a 2023 public briefing, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Lord Villanueva said that "discipline" remains a key missing factor in solving flood problems in Metro Manila.
"I have a one-word answer for you, and that's discipline," Villanueva said. "Discipline, I think, is what our citizens lack today."
The report also attributes flooding to "deforestation, industrial waste discharge, and agricultural runoff" and there is no way those issues are caused by the public at large yet DILG Undersecretary Lord Villanueva has no words for the captains of industry who cause those problems. Of course one does not want to anger the business sector.
Bacolod City is also having the same issue. If only those undisciplined lumpenproletariats wouldn't litter the city would not flood.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1254092 |
The city government here enjoined Bacolodnons to take part in flood mitigation efforts after 26 tons of garbage were dredged from Mambuloc Creek on Thursday.
In a statement on Friday, Mayor Greg Gasataya, who personally supervised the initial dredging operation, said civic participation is critical to the long-term success of the initiative.
“I urge everyone to take part in protecting the environment. Maintaining clean waterways is a shared responsibility of the people,” he said.
The clean-up drive in waterways is part of the city’s flood mitigation efforts targeting vulnerable areas, including Barangays 2, 8, and 10, which are located in the city proper, adjacent to shopping malls and other major business establishments.
“We can clean this today, but if people keep throwing trash, nothing will change. Cooperation is the key. While the city can implement infrastructure solutions, lasting change requires active participation from the community,” Gasataya said.
To help maintain the cleanliness of the creek, he said the city would install catch nets and other reinforcements along the waterways.
Based on the waste analysis and characterization study of the Bacolod Environment and Natural Resources Office, this highly urbanized city generates an average of 577 tons of garbage each day, about 400 tons of which enter the sanitary landfill daily.
All of this sounds good and blaming the masses is certainly easy but there are two problems wrong here and they are both the fault of the local government.
1. Education about proper disposal and a fully functioning garbage collection system. The public litters because they do not know any better. They see the street sweepers and think someone else will take care of it. It's not their problem. There must be a nationwide education program to instill in the minds of the public that littering is a moral wrong and those who do it are no better than criminals. It is in fact criminal to litter, especially to dump waste in public. However, a decades long program that will teach the public to not litter is very necessary. Anti-littering ads can be placed on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, TV, Youtube, and everywhere else ads go. Famous celebrities can be hired as spokesmen, catchy jingles can be composed, memorable mascots can help teach the children.
A strict enforcement of the law must exist alongside this campaign. That includes fines for littering, illegal dumping, and open burning. Enforcement is key because the law on littering and open burning of garbage is never or rarely enforced.
Accompanying these efforts, the government must improve its sanitation system. That means paying the bills, ensuring weekly routes that pick-up at the same time and day of the week, and educating the public about the sanitation system which will prevent them from littering and open burning.
2. Local government needs to perform regular maintenance and build proper flood control systems. In the case of Bacolod, President Marcos has promised to allocate more funds for flood projects.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2082322/bacolod-solon-marcos-promised-to-reinstate-flood-control-funds |
Following the floods that recently hit this capital city of Negros Occidental, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has pledged funds to support this city’s flood mitigation efforts, Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said on Monday, July 14.
Benitez said the President also assured that the funds for crucial flood control projects slated for partial funding this year but which “disappeared” in the national budget would be “rectified” and be put back in.
The lawmaker said he had discussed with the President constructing floodgates and pumping stations at Bacolod’s rivers to address the flooding problem.
These projects were initially slated for partial funding in this year’s national budget but like other projects nationwide, the allocation reportedly “disappeared,” according to Benitez.
“So I spoke to the President and he assured me that it would be rectified. The funds would be put back in,” he said.
Benitez said he initially requested P300 million for floodgates and pumping stations covering three rivers here. But now that the scope had been expanded to cover five rivers, a larger budget will be required, he said.
Floodgates and pumping stations are crucial components in flood control, which are urgently needed, Benitez said.He said Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan also expressed the same commitment.
Benitez and Mayor Greg Gasataya have directed government agencies to take immediate action following the widespread flooding that occurred in Bacolod City on the night of Friday, July 11, which affected more than 5,000 Bacolod residents, the Bacolod City communications office said on Monday, July 14.
The two leaders convened an emergency meeting with the Bacolod City Disaster Risk Reduction Council and key response units to discuss immediate remedies and long-term flood mitigation strategies. Those who were in the meeting included the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Bacolod City District Engineering Office, the Bacolod City Engineering Office, the Bureau of Fire Protection and the Bacolod City Police Office.
Benitez instructed the DPWH to immediately submit cost estimates for a proposed flood mitigation project to fast-track its implementation.
Priority measures include installing floodgates and pumping stations in vulnerable areas like Banago and Mandalagan to enhance water discharge capacity and prevent water surges.
“We cannot afford to waste any more time. We must act now,” Benitez said.
Gasataya echoed this call, stressing the need for decisive and coordinated action to prevent a repeat of the recent disaster. “We can’t wait any longer. All departments and the City Council need to work together. Let’s have quick and real solutions. Let’s get it done,” Gasataya urged.
The meeting also addressed critical drainage improvements, including :
- Identifying optimal water channels
- Clearing obstructed floodways
- Emergency dredging operations for the Mandalagan shoreline and Banago River
On Sunday afternoon, the mayor dispatched a team from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office to drain floodwaters from Purok Katilingban in Barangay Banago, where 132 families live.
“We cannot afford to waste any more time. We must act now??" Unbelievable. What was Benitez doing as Mayor for the past three years? But really the City of Bacolod should have been acting for the past few decades. There is no excuse for Bacolod or any other city in the Philippines to have problems with flood control. Everyone knows the rainy season brings flooding. Obviously the efforts of LGUs have not worked. But that is no excuse. The incompetence of the government in this matter is just another reason to declare, No More Hell Run By Filipinos!
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