The Supreme Court (SC) has ordered top government officials, including President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., to respond to a petition for a writ of kalikasan filed over the government’s controversial flood control projects.
In an order dated October 15, the high court directed Marcos, former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, and Senate President Vicente Sotto III to comment on the petition, which accuses several agencies and contractors of causing “brutal environmental degradation” through years of neglect and alleged corruption in flood control programs.
The order also covers the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and River Basin Control Office (RBCO).
The writ of kalikasan petition, filed on September 11 by a group of lawyers and environmental advocates, seeks accountability from government officials, local government units, and contractors allegedly involved in flood control projects that have damaged river systems and natural habitats.
They claimed that “long years of neglect and willful destruction” have violated the constitutional right of Filipinos to a balanced and healthful ecology.
A writ of kalikasan is a special legal remedy that allows citizens to seek redress when environmental rights are threatened or violated.
An order to comment, such as the one issued by the SC, is a procedural step requiring respondents to formally explain their side before the Court proceeds with hearings or further action.
In a related development, the Department of Justice (DOJ) on October 15 issued new Immigration Lookout Bulletin Orders (ILBOs) against 19 individuals linked to the flood control project scandal, adding them to a travel watchlist at the Bureau of Immigration.
The latest batch follows the initial 33 lawmakers who were placed under ILBOs on October 8 as part of ongoing investigations into alleged anomalies in multibillion-peso public works projects.
