Castro: Duterte’s flood criticism `not helpful’ if no solution offered

Palace press officer Claire Castro. (PNA photo by Joan Bondoc)

MANILA, Philippines — Palace press officer, Undersecretary Claire Castro said on Saturday that Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte’s criticisms of the alleged flood control anomalies are not helpful for the Filipinos if they are not backed with suggestions to resolve the issue.

Castro pointed this out when asked about Duterte’s recent remark, saying that the alleged ghost projects on flood control only came out during the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

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“If we are talking about flood control projects, they just came out now. But the administration has done it for the past 3 years, so we also don’t have infrastructure and if we have it, it is being cheapened. Flood control has become ghost projects. They are now in trouble, they are pointing fingers,” the Davao City mayor earlier said in Filipino.

“We have a master plan. We are working with JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) for the projects. But if your government is too centralized, it will not really go to the provinces because that has been the system since then,” he added.

Responding to this, Castro said President Marcos continues to take action to resolve the issue on the flood control projects.

“Comments like this from them BUT no suggestions are given to resolve the problem are not helpful to the Filipino people,” Castro emphasized.

‘Where are Duterte admin’s  13,917 flood control projects?’

According to the Palace press officer, Duterte can help on the issue by informing the people about the 13,917 flood control projects of the administration of his father.

“What they could have done to help is to inform the people about the 13,917 flood control projects of the previous administration so that everyone knows if they exist, are operational, are they effective in the flood problem and if we are feeling these projects now and in previous years,” Castro said.

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She added that Marcos is open to listening should Duterte have any “sensible suggestions.”

The government is currently investigating the alleged anomalies in the flood controls, after Marcos recently revealed that about 20 percent of the entire P545-billion budget for flood mitigation projects was awarded to only 15 contractors. /mr