CEBU FLASH FLOODS: WHO IS TO BLAME?

The torrential rains brought by Typhoon Tino overwhelmed the river systems of Cebu and caused massive flooding. Even the Mananga River in Talisay City with its wide river bed, overflowed. Flash floods occurred in many areas, including Cebu City, Talisay, Mandaue, Consolacion, Liloan and more. As thousands of families were displaced and evacuated across many cities and towns amidst the at least 269 people confirmed dead, the persistent question that people ask is who is to blame.

Preliminary evaluations point to flood control infrastructure not being enough or not properly built. This comes amidst the corruption scandal that besets the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), contractors and may politicians. At this point, it is easy to point to ghost and substandard flood control projects to be the culprit.

However, part of the problem must be garbage, drainage and waste disposal. We have witnessed waterways that have been clogged with garbage and other refuse, which points to the general public as part of the problem. This highlights the lack of discipline in how residents dispose of waste, which worsens the flooding.

Some businesses have also built or extended their structures over and into the canal systems blocking them or altering their course. These structures restrict waterflow and reduce the carrying capacity of these drainages and canals.

Other environmental and development factors can also be blamed. Hillside development is prevalent. Monterrazas de Cebu is even under investigation, allegedly for cutting trees and violations of its Environmental Compliance Certificate.

In sum, rapid urbanization and possibly unplanned or “underplanned” expansions may have made the flood risk worse. When a development is allowed on a hillside for example, does the developer and the local government make a study of the carrying capacity of the canal systems that carry water down through the lower urban areas? Then why is it that even when more subdivisions are planned and built there, the canals that carry their water have remained the same size, if not even restricted?

Apparently, the climate change is another contributory factor. What had been only a concept before has now become a reality. That is why, according to some reports, the rainfall during Typhoon Tino was unusual, intense and beyond what our existing infrastructure was designed to handle. Cebu and the country as a whole must be prepared since based on studies, the Philippines is one of the countries that will be seriously affected by it.

Beyond the infrastructure damage, people have died, homes destroyed and many are displaced. This is not just a “flood inconvenience” – it is a humanitarian crisis for those affected. The scale of the destruction is putting a spotlight on whether past flood-control investments were well-spent or poorly executed. The must be better planning, transparency and stronger enforcement of environmental and urban planning policies. But blaming government is not enough.

Responsibility must not be only borne by the government alone but by the business sector and the public as a whole.