The release of P1 billion to strengthen Project Noah or the Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards comes at an opportune time, as the country is experiencing massive floods submerging entire communities and triggering landslides.
These floods are a reminder of the billions of pesos lost to corruption, money that should have built better and more resilient infrastructure. It could also have been put to much better use by supporting Project Noah, which is ironically receiving the fresh allocation after cuts worth P255 billion were made in this year’s national budget due to the flood control corruption scandal exposed last year.
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has called the funding “an investment in prevention” that allows the government to preempt hazards before they turn into disasters. “The best disaster management is when we are able to prevent disasters from becoming a catastrophe. Every peso we invest in better forecasting and preparedness can help save lives, protect livelihoods, and avoid far greater losses later on,” said DBM Acting Secretary Kim Robert C. de Leon.
Considering its importance in reducing the impact of typhoons that hit the country regularly, funding support for Project Noah should have been sustained through the years.
Flagship disaster prevention
The project was established in 2012 in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Sendong in December 2011. It was considered the most destructive typhoon that year in terms of casualties, leaving 1,268 dead and 131,618 families displaced in 13 provinces. Then President Benigno Aquino III called for a better disaster prevention and mitigation system, giving birth to the program that sought to provide a six-hour lead-time warning to government agencies. The project, dubbed the country’s flagship disaster prevention and mitigation program, used advanced technologies to enhance geohazard vulnerability maps.
At the time, the project had an annual budget of more than P30 million. It was, however, defunded by the previous administration and was placed under the University of the Philippines in 2017 to continue its disaster research through the UP Resilience Institute (UPRI). The new allocation may still not be enough to execute the program fully, but is a “good start,” according to UPRI executive director Mahar Lagmay.
The budget will be used to upgrade the program’s artificial intelligence-powered flood forecasting and real-time hazard monitoring by procuring critical information and communications technology, as well as digital and scientific equipment. This upgrade could help national government agencies and local governments make faster science-backed decisions during emergencies.
Unprogrammed appropriations
Specifically, the funds will be spent on high-resolution mapping of major river basins to provide more detailed information on waterways, floodplains, infrastructure, exposed communities, and other areas at risk. They will also support “Oplan Kontra Baha” launched last year to clear clogged and polluted waterways and drainages in and around Metro Manila and mitigate flash floods during heavy rains.
That is the good news.
The bad news, per Lagmay, is the lack of assurance that the project will get funding next year. The proposed P7.2 trillion national budget for 2027 does not contain any allocation for Project Noah. UPRI noted that this year’s funding was only finalized at the bicameral conference committee level, implying that unless lawmakers lobby for an allocation, it will not get even a single peso. This is not how the government should treat its flagship disaster prevention program—as an afterthought.
If the government could earmark P111.984 billion for unprogrammed appropriations (UA) in next year’s budget, why couldn’t it already set aside funding for Project Noah?
‘Shadow’ pork funds
Budget watchdogs have criticized UA as “shadow” pork funds because they are outside the regular budget framework and can be released with minimal transparency. Mamamayang Liberal party list Rep. Leila de Lima and Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice have filed a petition before the Supreme Court to declare the P150.9-billion UA in this year’s P6.793 trillion national budget as unconstitutional for lacking clear revenue sources and giving President Marcos a “blanket authority to spend.”
This month’s severe rains and floods are again a reminder that every peso lost to corruption is a stolen investment in the country’s disaster prevention program. As of yesterday, the number of people affected by the combined effects of tropical cyclones and the southwest monsoon has climbed to 8 million, per the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
If the government is serious about mitigating the impact of future disasters, it should prioritize programs like Project Noah that have proven their value in saving lives and serving as a useful tool for the public—not those that line the pockets of corrupt government officials and politicians.