Several lawyers and environmental advocates knocked on the doors of the Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday with one urgent plea: save the environment from years of neglect and flawed flood control projects.
In a 28-page petition, they asked the High Court to issue a writ of kalikasan—a powerful legal remedy meant to protect the environment. Their demands were clear and emotional:
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Launch a massive cleanup of rivers, creeks, canals, and drainage systems across the country.
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Unclog and retrofit existing flood control systems that are no longer working.
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Find and release the nation’s flood control master plan—or create one if it doesn’t exist.
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Push Congress to finally codify a National Land Use Plan.
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Go after those who profited from anomalous and defective flood control projects.
The petitioners named as respondents nearly every major government institution involved—from the Office of the President and Congress to the DPWH, DENR, MMDA, local governments, and private contractors.
In their words:
“The whole country must be rehabilitated. Drainage systems de-clogged and retrofitted. Rivers, creeks, and canals cleaned of trash. Informal settlements along waterways must be relocated. Dredging of silted rivers must begin—before our nation suffers total destruction.”
One of the petitioners, lawyer Ariel Inton, sent a direct message to contractors behind failed projects:
“Do a back job. Finish what you started—without charging the government again. These projects have already been funded for years.”
The petition paints a grim picture but also a hopeful one: if acted upon, the Supreme Court’s intervention could force a long-overdue reckoning—cleaner waterways, stronger flood defenses, and accountability for those who failed the public.
As of press time, Malacañang has yet to issue a statement on the petition.
