• RICHARD T. CABALLERO JR.
Activist group BAYAN Negros sought accountability for the officials and the City Government of Bacolod in the recent ‘catastrophic flooding’ that occurred in the city due to the inclement weather brought by Tropical Depression Verbena.
In a released statement, the group expressed strong condemnation of the government’s ineffective flood control initiatives, citing that the recent tropical depression exposed the full-scale collapse of the government’s flood control programs.
The group claimed that at least P4.283 billion has been allocated for the city’s flood control projects since 2017, with annual allocations ballooning from P118.93 million in 2017 to over P1.028 billion in 2023.
“All that money, yet Bacolod still sank. The numbers reveal what the people already know: the ‘projects’ were never meant to protect us, only to enrich those in power,” it said in a statement.
It also pointed out that the narrative produced by the city that “garbage blocks the waterways” is just victim blaming to cover up the government’s inefficiency, stressing that while the community sank, the real culprit hid.
BAYAN also criticized the ‘Oplan Kontra Baha’ initiative of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who was set to arrive in Bacolod City next week, as a mockery for the people.
“As Marcos Jr. prepares to set foot in Negros, he must confront what the people already know: corruption killed our communities long before the floodwaters rose. Negros is not drowning because of storms alone; we are drowning in the consequences of a government built on plunder, repression, and lies,” it added.
According to Bacolod City Lone District Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, Marcos will meet with Mayor Greg Gasataya and barangay captains on December 5 to champion a “major flood control initiative” supposedly capable of reducing floods by 60 percent through garbage clearing and dredging.
Based on the reports of the Bacolod City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, at least 3,571 families from 31 barangays, or 10,943 individuals, were displaced, while major roads turned into rivers and entire communities forced to evacuate due to tropical depression Verbena.
“We also call on the urgent establishment of a People’s Transition Council to steer the country toward genuine democracy, accountability, and systemic change,” BAYAN demanded.*
