MANILA, Philippines — While expressing support for the Metro Manila Council’s proposal to enforce fines on littering and illegal dumping of garbage, Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon said it is still the mandate of the DPWH to fulfill the national government’s obligation of clearing waterways and drainage as well as addressing flooding.
“We need public discipline and we need to enforce fines on litterers, as President Marcos stated,” Dizon told reporters during his inspection of the Remedios pumping station along Roxas Boulevard in Manila yesterday.
“But the government holds a heavier responsibility than ordinary citizens. While we enforce discipline, the government must continuously work to fix these long-standing structural problems,” he said.
Dizon said the flood control master plan for the National Capital Region is outdated by at least two decades.
To lessen or avoid bureaucratic delays altogether, the DPWH is executing localized engineering projects in direct coordination with city mayors.
In Manila, Dizon noted that all upcoming drainage and pumping interventions by the DPWH are vetted directly by Mayor Isko Moreno to make sure these are aligned with the capital’s local drainage master plan.