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Senate President Chiz Escudero has addressed Vice President Sara Duterte’s recent criticism regarding the absence of a comprehensive flood masterplan under the current administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
In his remarks on August 9, Escudero questioned VP Duterte’s focus on the lack of a flood masterplan during the Marcos administration, noting that former President Rodrigo Duterte, her father, had six years to address the issue but failed to implement a solution.
“What is perplexing is her questioning the absence of a flood masterplan two years into the administration of PBBM after the previous administration had six years to develop one, but was unable to do so,” Escudero said.
He highlighted that if progress had been made during the previous administration, the country would have already seen some implementation of flood management strategies. “Matagal nang problema ang pagbabaha sa bansa; kung meron kasing nagawa na o nasimulan man lang po noon, eh di meron na po sana tayong napapatupad na ngayon,” he added.
Escudero urged for collaboration rather than blame-shifting to effectively tackle the nation’s problems. “We have other problems, but the focus of the Senate is to address them, and not just point,” he stated. “Imbes na magturuan at magsisihan, mas mainam na magtulungan na lang tayo para tugunan ang mga problema ng ating bansa at mga kababayan.”
Despite his critique, Escudero acknowledged the Vice President’s right to voice concerns about national issues. “The Vice President, like every Filipino, has the right to point out the problems confronting our countrymen,” he said.
However, he emphasized that, unlike ordinary citizens, VP Duterte has the resources and platform to propose and implement tangible solutions. “Unlike ordinary citizens, however, she can actually suggest or do something tangible about them using her position, resources and platform,” Escudero noted.
Vice President Duterte had previously urged the Marcos administration to fund infrastructure projects related to flood control and shared her personal experiences with severe flooding. She also called for support for flood control projects based on the Master Plan and Feasibility Study developed during her father’s presidency.
