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Lawmakers and contractors used the climate crisis to push forward flood-control projects. But those have turned out to be defective and in some cases even non-existent.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. touring the Tripa de Gallina Pumping Station on August 20, 2026.
Recent non-stop rains inundated Metro Manila and nearby urban areas in the Philippines, revealing not just the scale and stench of the garbage problem but also the lingering impact of corruption-tainted flood control projects.
For almost two weeks, severe flooding led to the cancellation of classes, stranded thousands of workers, and forced the evacuation of residents in low-lying areas. Fast rising water levels caused dams to overspill, which worsened the flooding in the country’s largest urban center.
