Every rainy season, the Philippines drowns. Students wade through flooded streets. Roofs become communal sleeping platforms. Boats replace jeepneys.
Year after year, the same tragedy. And still—we spend. Billions. On dikes. On drainage. On pumping stations. In 2025 alone, billions was poured into flood control. And yet, come storm season, it’s the people who suffer. (AP News)
Back in 2012, Project NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards) flickered like a bright idea. It wasn’t just infrastructure — it was prevention. Hazard maps, Doppler radars, apps like ARKO and LAYERS that gave early warnings down to the barangay.
NOAH saved lives. It didn’t make headlines. It made a difference. By 2015, the UN named it the world’s best disaster risk reduction program.(Wikipedia)
But in 2017, Duterte’s admin defunded it. Official reason? Walang pondo.
The Official Line: No Budget
The Department of Science and Technology pulled the plug. On paper, “no budget” sounded legit.
Yet around the same time, DPWH kept expanding its flood control spending. The money was there—it just wasn’t for NOAH.
This wasn’t lack of funds. It was lack of values.
Concrete Is Sexy. Science Isn’t.
Politicians chase ribbon-cuttings. You can photograph a new bridge, you can inaugurate a pumping station.
But there’s no grand unveiling for an algorithm, no selfie at a sensitive地-weather radar, no ribbon for a hazard map sitting on your phone saving your life.
For Project NOAH, science mattered. But optics won.
Then Came the Dolomite Beach
Look at the sand they dumped in Manila Bay: crushed dolomite worth nearly ₱400 million. Environmentalists called it cosmetic. Scientists called it useless. But it looked good on camera.
Science be damned—spectacle ruled.
Corruption’s Big Appetite
Now, fast forward to today’s headlines.
President Marcos Jr. uncovered glaring anomalies in flood control projects. Over 6,000 of 9,000 completed projects were substandard—or just plain ghost projects.
Blade-sharp President Marcos has launched investigations. Contractors were grilled. Lawsuits filed. An independent commission is set to dig deeper.
In fact, civic groups demanded an independent probe — ₱545 billion spent since 2022, but many projects are fake or shoddy, few contractors cornered the budget, and duplicates abound.
Senator Panfilo Lacson pulled no punches. In a privilege speech titled “Flooded Gates of Corruption,” he laid bare how about half of the ₱2 trillion flood-control spend over 15 years was looted. Only 40% went to actual construction.
It’s not just neglect. It’s betrayal.
Project NOAH: The Better Way That Worked
Contrast that with NOAH’s legacy:
- The UN honored it for early warning and disaster readiness.GovInsiderAverted Disaster Award
- In 2022, the UP Resilience Institute won an “Honorable Mention” for early-warning systems thanks to NOAH.Resilience
- In Typhoon Bopha (Pablo), NOAH’s data helped agencies act ahead of time, saving countless lives.UNDRR
- Social creativity even played a part: Manny Pacquiao’s height was used in an infographic so people could visualize flood depths.World Bank Blogs
NOAH wasn’t a photo-op. It was life-saving tech and science in action.
When the Flood Respect Science
Remember Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan)? In Albay, local officials used NOAH’s hazard maps for early evacuation. Thousands were spared.
Contrast that with Typhoon Ompong in 2018—NOAH gone, warning delayed, preparation scattered. Harvests lost. Lives lost.
That’s the difference between investment and indigence.
Project NOAH’s Second Life—Held by UP
Thankfully, UP took NOAH under its wing in 2017. The magic didn’t vanish.
But let’s be real—a university doesn’t have the same budget. It preserved, but couldn’t scale. Imagine if NOAH had even 5% of DPWH’s flood money. That’s preparedness everyone could ride out.
A Pattern That Matters
This isn’t just about Duterte or even today’s Marcos administration. It’s a recurring playbook:
- Brief Buzz: Politician cuts ribbons on visible projects.
- Hush: Science works quietly, out of sight.
- Neglect or Nix: Prevention becomes the victim.
- Reap: Flood arrives—and blame the rain.
Other Examples of Misplaced Priorities
- Hospitals underfunded, while pork barrels balloon.
- Teachers buy chalk; candidates buy airtime.
- Climate-proofing ignored; road widening prioritized.
It’s always optics over outcomes.
Values Matter More Than Budgets
When someone says “no budget,” ask:
- Where else is the money going?
- What are they hiding behind a budget excuse?
- Who benefits from the visible over the vital?
If prevention isn’t paid for, stop blaming the storm.
The Call to Shift
Here’s your daily challenge:
- Demand accountability. Transparency isn’t optional.
- Vote for science. Leaders who listen to experts over contractors.
- Make prevention loud. Share the lives saved by unseen work.
- When disaster hits, follow the money. Ask: who defunded the game-changer that could’ve held the water back?
Never About Money, Always About Values
Project NOAH didn’t die from lack of funds. It died from lack of value.
Today, ₱545 billion was spent on flood control—only to be revealed as ghostly and shoddy.Reuters
Meanwhile, NOAH quietly equipped communities to survive.
The floods continue. But who drowns—and who survives? That’s not the rain’s doing. It’s a decision.
