FUNDING lost to corruption from the flood control scandal could have been used for climate adaptation programs, advocacy group Oxfam Pilipinas said, noting potential vulnerability to climate disasters.
“It leaves communities physically exposed to hazards from intensifying storms, floods, and other artificial disasters,” Joel Chester Pagulayan, Oxfam Pilipinas Climate Justice Portfolio Manager, said in a news briefing on Monday.
The government has been facing increasing public scrutiny over flood control projects, where billions of pesos in public funds were siphoned off through padded contracts and shell companies.
“It’s climate plunder in practice, where our public resources meant to reduce our climate risks, and our vulnerabilities are captured by a powerful few,” Mr. Pagulayan added.
He said that “climate plunder” has worsened climate vulnerability for ordinary Filipinos.
“When public flood control funds, or climate funds for that matter, become private profit, we don’t just lose money, we also lose lives, we also lose livelihoods,” he added.
He added that the government, which is also facing criticism over disaster preparedness, should have used funding meant for flood mitigation infrastructure toward other climate adaptation measures.
“We are losing sight of other potential solutions that can be used to adapt to the climate crisis,” he added. “Climate adaptation is not only about flood control projects or constructing infrastructure buffers.”
The government should invest in nature-based and ecosystem-based solutions, like mangrove rehabilitation, to mitigate potential climate disasters, he said.
Mr. Pagulayan added that the government should also invest in early warning systems that would enable vulnerable local governments to create their own disaster preparedness policies.
“These adaptation measures could have been prioritized by the government instead of hard infrastructure projects,” he added.
Citing an October study by Oxfam International, Mr. Pagulayan said that those within the global south along with women and indigenous groups may be more impacted by climate disasters.
The Philippines is located within the so-called pacific ring of fire where numerous earthquakes and disasters occur, an average of 20 storms also enter the Philippines annually. — Adrian H. Halili