Flood Control Failures Draw Scrutiny After Deadly Typhoon Kalmaegi

Typhoon Kalmaegi’s flooding across the Visayas, particularly in Cebu province, killed more than 100 people and displaced many more, reviving public anger over the flood control corruption scandal that had already been dominating national headlines.

Local officials and disaster response groups said some of the flooding could have been reduced had flood control infrastructure in the affected areas been built and maintained as originally funded, rather than left substandard or, in some documented cases, never constructed at all.

Analysts and local reporting also pointed to unrelated factors compounding the damage, including river-clogging quarrying activity in the region, alongside the underlying infrastructure gaps.

The disaster added pressure on national agencies and lawmakers already facing Senate and DOJ scrutiny over flood control contract awards.