President Marcos visits CamSur evacuees

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos personally checked on the condition of evacuees in Naga City, Camarines Sur on Saturday, promising that the government will continue with its assistance, as he ordered the resumption of the Bicol River Basin Development Program (BRBDP) following severe flooding in the region. 

Marcos briefly chatted, shook hands with evacuees, including children, at the Naga City Hall, which serves as a temporary shelter for those displaced by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine, before presiding over a situation briefing with local officials.

“I just came to see that you are being taken care of properly,” the President said in Filipino.

He said the government would find ways to address the flooding in their province.

“But for now, expect that as long as the government is here, we will continue to help you,” Marcos said.

At a situation briefing at the Naga City Hall, Marcos directed Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan to revisit the BRBDP, which was initiated by his father, the late former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. in the ’70s.

The project – which could have addressed recurring flooding in the region – was halted in 1986, according to the President.

Marcos noted flood levels recorded in Bicol were twice as high as those experienced during Tropical Storm Ondoy in 2009. 

“Next time it rains, here we go again. It would be the same situation all over again. So, we have to find a long-term solution,” he said.

“This is really climate change. This is all new. So, we have to come up also with new solutions,” Marcos added. 

“I’m studying it (flooding) and I found that in 1973 there was the Bicol River Basin Development Project,” Marcos said. 

“However, it was not finished. In 1986 when the government changed, the project was abolished. It was terminated. So, we have to revisit it now. The conditions are different now with the advent of climate change,” he added. 

The BRBDP was launched in the 1970s as a geography-based development initiative for the Bicol region, primarily funded by the US Agency for International Development with support from the Asian Development Bank and the European Economic Community. 

Marcos said the program was “very advantageous” to the community, designed not only to address chronic flooding, but also to support farm-to-market roads essential for agriculture. 

He said the program’s benefits were noted in the mid-1980s, with improvements in road access leading to greater mobility, reduced travel times and enhanced access to markets, medical services and educational and other facilities.

“Now, we have to focus specifically on flood control,” the President stressed.

Bonoan told Marcos that the BRBDP was updated in July this year under a Philippine-Korea project, which includes a feasibility study for flood control.  

According to Bonoan, they are expecting to complete a detailed engineering design by early next year, with civil works expected to start by late 2025 or early 2026.

The Bicol River is the eighth largest river in the country in terms of drainage basin size. Ninety percent of it is in Camarines Sur and Albay, while the rest lies in Camarines Norte, based on the website of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

After the briefing, Marcos turned over P50 million to acting Albay Governor Glenda Ong-Bongao and P30 million to Naga City Mayor Nelson Legacion from the Office of the President.

About 15,000 individuals sought shelter in evacuation centers with roughly 200 families still housed at the Naga City Hall, Legacion said.

He said damage to infrastructure, including bridges, in Naga has exceeded P1 billion. 

Meanwhile, Ong-Bongao said over 92,000 families in Albay need more food supplies.  

Marcos said the Department of Health would be augmenting medical personnel in the Bicol region.

This was after DOH Bicol Center for Health Development assistant regional director Rosa Maria Rempillo requested for additional manpower for the Geriatric Medical Center, where personnel have been working for six straight days.