SENATE committee chair for health and demography Christopher “Bong” Go called on the government to redirect more funds toward health programs instead of questionable and problematic flood control projects, saying that protecting lives must come first.
“Sana ilaan natin ang pondo sa mapapakinabangan ng taumbayan lalo na para sa health – sa pagtatayo at pag-upgrade ng mga ospital, medical assistance, at PhilHealth benefits,” Go said during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on August 19, 2025.
(Hopefully, we allocate the funds to where the people truly benefit from, especially in health — for the construction and upgrading of hospitals, medical assistance, and PhilHealth benefits.)
Go, a senator from Davao Region, pointed out that despite the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) receiving nearly triple the budget of the health sector, flooding has worsened even in areas that were not traditionally prone to inundation.
“Halos triple ang budget ng Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) kumpara sa Health budget,” he said. “Iyung mga lugar na dating hindi naman kadalasan binabaha, ngayon po binabaha na rin. Taun-taon, pataas ng pataas ang budget para sa flood control, pero pataas rin ng pataas ang pagbabaha.”
(The budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is almost triple compared to the Health budget. Areas that were not usually prone to flooding before are now experiencing floods. Every year, the budget for flood control keeps increasing, but flooding also keeps getting worse.)
He cited the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Manila as an example of an area that continues to suffer from flooding despite repeated spending on flood control.
“Iyung baha diyan sa PGH, eh hindi po na-address. Sana bigyan po ito ng priority ninyo. Mas malapit naman ito sa atin, mas nakikita niyo,” he told DPWH officials.
(The flooding at PGH has not been addressed. I hope this will be given priority. It’s closer to us, and you can see it more directly.)
Go also questioned the placement of some projects, criticizing the use of funds in less populated areas.
“Dapat ilagay ang flood control sa lugar na may madalas binabaha at may maproteksyunan na tao. Ang tanong natin: bakit doon naglagay sa walang tao? May flood control pero walang pino-proteksyunan na tao, walang kino-control na baha,” he said, noting that projects must be guided by a master plan that prioritizes flood-prone communities.
(Flood control should be placed in areas that are frequently flooded and where there are people to be protected. Our question is: why was it built in places with no people? There’s flood control, but no people being protected, no flooding is actually being controlled.)
The senator’s call comes as the DPWH has recently rolled out several flood control projects nationwide, such as a P47.8 million revetment structure along the Rio Chico River in Guimba, Nueva Ecija, another P52.4 million mitigation structure in the same area, a P9.5 million structure in Barangay Talospatang, Pangasinan, and a P97 million project in Cagayan de Oro’s Barangay Lumbia, one of the communities devastated by Typhoon Sendong. DEF
