DBM eyes consolidated flood control plan

MANILA, Philippines — In response to widespread flooding in July, the Department of Budget and Management urged the creation of a unified and integrated master plan to tackle the country’s recurring flood issues through coordinated and long-term solutions.

Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said flood control is a top priority highlighted in President Marcos’ recent State of the Nation Address, stressing the need for a consolidated strategy for Metro Manila’s flooding problem and greater integration with the local government units (LGUs) willing to provide funding.

“Among the assignments is to provide us with a menu of solutions. Not only one flood control works for every area. So we need a menu of possible solutions on the kind of projects we need to present to LGUs,” she said.

Approved in 2012 by the World Bank and the former National Economic and Development Authority, the country had formulated the Metro Manila Flood Management Master Plan in response to the flooding caused by Storm Ondoy in 2009.

The master plan outlined measures to manage major flood events, including building a dam in the upper Marikina River to reduce peak flows and protecting Laguna de Bay’s shoreline from long-term flooding.

It also included modernizing Metro Manila’s pumping stations, enhancing early warning systems and community-based risk management, and improving institutional coordination for more effective flood response and management.

As part of the project, 36 old pumping stations would be upgraded, 20 additional stations built and key infrastructure developed along vital waterways to help prevent flooding.
In December 2024, however, the Commission on Audit (COA) flagged the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority due to delays in the project.

It noted that 22 projects and programs under the flood management master plan, with a total budget of P510.6 million, were beyond completion target dates.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said 1.8 million families or 6.7 million people, have been affected nationwide by the monsoon and tropical cyclones Crising, Dante and Emong.