Manila: Malaca±ang said the country's persistent flooding is rooted in decades-old neglect and failures in urban planning and flood-control implementation, stressing that the problem cannot be attributed solely to the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

According to Philippines News Agency, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro stated that shortcomings in flood management have accumulated over several administrations, with experts estimating that proper planning and infrastructure measures have not been fully implemented for about 40 years. 'Ayaw nating magkaroon ng turuan kung sino ang may kasalanan o kung sino iyong gumagawa ng trabaho dahil hindi po ito sa kasalukuyan o sa nakaraang tatlong taon ang sanhi ng problema (We do not want to point fingers at who is at fault or who is responsible for doing the work because the problem was not caused by something that happened only recently or within the past three years),' Castro said in a Palace briefing Tuesday.

She emphasized that President Marcos inherited these accumulated problems, including alleged negligence and ghost projects from previous administrations, and is now directing government agencies to address them. 'Sa ngayon po ay kailangang walisin, linisin ng Pangulo ang mga nagawang pagkukulang noong mga nakaraang administrasyon (The President now has to clean up the shortcomings left by previous administrations),' Castro added.

Castro made the statement when asked why flooding remains severe in Pampanga and Bulacan provinces despite the long presence of local political families in the affected areas. She rejected calls to assign blame to particular local officials, saying the immediate priority should be to implement measures that can reduce flooding. However, the Palace official stressed that local governments also have a responsibility to enforce flood mitigation measures.