A scientist group has sharply criticized the Marcos administration’s disaster response efforts, saying its continued negligence has left communities vulnerable—again—amid recent flooding in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
In a statement released on Wednesday, July 24, AGHAM – Advocates of Science and Technology for the People – pointed to what it called the government’s “inadequate disaster response and management,” despite massive funding allocated for flood control projects.
“One year after the devastating effects of Carina and the enhanced habagat, we are again forced to endure the same perennial problem,” said Cleng Julve, AGHAM’s secretary general.
According to AGHAM, the government has earmarked ₱680.2 billion for flood management from 2023 to 2025, including ₱249.8 billion for 2025 alone. Yet, the group noted, heavy rains from Typhoon Crising, the southwest monsoon, and storms Dante and Emong once again submerged many areas in floodwaters.
From July 19 to 22, Quezon City’s PAGASA Science Garden recorded 573 millimeters of rainfall—exceeding the monthly average in just four days.
Julve emphasized that “rainfall alone is not to blame,” citing flawed infrastructure and planning. “Metro Manila’s infrastructure is not built for extreme weather events,” she said. “The projects being done do not respond to our country’s reality as susceptible to typhoons, what more with the changes brought about by the climate crisis.”
The group also took aim at President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s previous remarks blaming climate change and residents’ poor waste disposal habits for last year’s flooding. They described this explanation as “scientifically inaccurate and administratively irresponsible.”
“Rain is natural, but negligence is a decision,” Julve stressed. “Disaster risk is not just a technical issue—it is political and structural. Climate change is real, but so is the incompetence of Marcos Jr.”
AGHAM further criticized the administration’s prioritization of large infrastructure projects while allegedly neglecting essential environmental safeguards such as watershed protection, sustainable land use, and coastal defenses. Julve warned that “reclamation, quarrying, and deforestation” continue to worsen the risks.
