MANILA, Philippines — Instead of waiting for a comprehensive national flood control and drainage master plan, the Department of Public Works and Highways will implement localized drainage master plans in direct consultation with city and municipal mayors to address Metro Manila’s broader flood crisis, DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon said.
In an interview with reporters during an inspection of flood control projects in Navotas City Tuesday morning, Dizon cited the case of the Navotas local government where direct coordination with Mayor John Rey Tiangco led to the immediate repair of six non-functioning pumping stations and the closure of coastal dike gaps.
To address recurring overflows along the San Juan River basin, Dizon announced that the DPWH will construct a network of flood-retarding basins across Quezon City under its 2027 budget submission.
These retention basins will temporarily hold back mountain and urban runoff during peak downpours before slowly releasing water into the river system.
“Almost all stormwater from Quezon City empties into the San Juan River, which eventually overwhelms it,” Dizon explained. “By constructing retarding basins, we create a temporary buffer so runoff doesn’t hit the river all at once. In the past, the DPWH didn’t even consult mayors. Now we are building engineering solutions based on actual ground reality.”
Under the revised procurement and budgeting guidelines, Dizon declared that no project will be submitted to Congress unless it possesses a comprehensive master plan, an engineered design, mandatory feasibility studies and formal endorsements from both the Local Development Council (LDC) and the Regional Development Council (RDC).
“If a project lacks even one of these five requirements, it will not enter the budget – period,” Dizon warned. “This is one of our key safeguards so that past abuses won’t happen again. Previously, entries consisted merely of a project title and an arbitrary cost – meaning those figures were simply invented without any engineering studies on paper.”
He added that under the new system, local chief executives will no longer be caught off guard by unvetted projects in their localities, as LDC and RDC clearances are now strictly required.
He outlined the primary target zones for the proposed 2027 flood management budget, prioritizing major river basins and low-lying coastal catchment areas nationwide.
Key priority locations include the Pampanga and Bulacan River Basins in Central Luzon; low-lying coastal municipalities in Cavite such as Kawit, Noveleta, Bacoor and Imus; the Bicol River Basin covering Naga City and Camarines Sur; Metro Cebu; Bacolod City; the Davao Region; Central Mindanao and Cagayan de Oro and Iligan in Northern Mindanao.
Support
Amid renewed calls for a comprehensive drainage master plan, several lawmakers quickly expressed their support for the proposal.
Parañaque Rep. Brian Yamsuan said he is open to allocating funds for the implementation of a Metro Manila drainage master plan, citing the urgency following recent flooding brought by heavy monsoon rains.
Echoing Yamsuan, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) also hopes to push for the comprehensive drainage master plan to be included in the General Appropriations Act.
“We’ll take an active role to fund this drainage master plan in Metro Manila this year so we can implement it as soon as possible,” MMDA Chairman Don Artes said.
The government, according to Artes, could initially limit the funding request to a feasibility study to determine the scale of the drainage system, elevation requirements and interconnectivity.
The MMDA said such an approach would require less funding than preparing a complete plan down to the detailed engineering design.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson, meanwhile, urged the DPWH to ensure that the country’s flood control master plan would continue beyond the current administration.
“There should be continuity and the master plan should be multi-administration in scope. It must be designed to cross administrations,” Lacson said over radio dzBB. “Minor modifications can be made over time to adapt to new situations, but the core of the basic plan must remain.”
The DPWH, under Dizon, is crafting a more comprehensive flood control master plan by integrating local flood control plans covering the country’s major river basins and flood-prone areas.
Under the proposed 2027 spending plan, the DPWH was allotted P644 billion, up from its current P530.9 billion allocation, with P107.4 billion proposed for its flood control management program.
Clearing operations
Beyond long-term infrastructure planning, the DPWH has also mobilized district engineering offices nationwide for aggressive road maintenance and pothole patching operations following days of continuous rains that damaged major thoroughfares.
Maintenance teams have been deployed to apply cold-mix and hot-mix asphalt overlays on high-traffic corridors in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, the Bicol Region and parts of the Visayas and Mindanao that were hit hardest by recent downpours.
DPWH field units are also clearing clogged road drains, side gutters and culverts to prevent water pooling that causes recurring pavement damage.
According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-NCR, up to 1,255 sacks of mixed solid waste were collected on Tuesday across 27 cleanup sites by Estero Rangers, River Warriors and partner organizations.
The MMDA, for its part, has collected between 25 and 27 truckloads of garbage along EDSA after Monday’s flooding.
Amid these efforts, government officials urged the public to practice proper waste management, prevent garbage from reaching waterways and not to point fingers at one another.
“The provincial government is not neglecting its responsibilities. We are conducting dredging,” Bulacan, Gov. Daniel Fernando said as he blamed high tide and garbage for the recurring flooding during an interview on “Storycon” in One News.
“We are doing our duty… So let’s not point fingers at one another. Everyone is doing their part here,” he added.
– Janvic Mateo, Andrew Ronquillo, Marc Jayson Cayabyab