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FMJ wants flood control masterplan
By Nidz Godino
PRESIDENT FERDINAND MARCOS JR. INSPECTS RIZAL FLOODWAY
“Water doesn’t recognize boundaries…that’s why flood control has to be big plan,” President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said country needs to have flood control masterplan as it braces for more torrential rain during typhoon season that is expected to be worsened by looming La Niña and climate change.
Marcos visited and inspected Quezon and Rizal, two of the provinces inundated by incessant rains from Typhoon Carina and enhanced southwest monsoon-induced rains in the past days.
He said comprehensive national plan on flood control should cover several regions, adding it also needs to consider changing weather patterns due to climate change that threaten communities previously have not been affected by floods.
“Let’s prepare for next flood…this is first typhoon within La Niña…this might be prolonged… so, we have to prepare for that… let’s think about preparing for that,” the President said.
According to Marcos, former public works and highways secretary Rogelio Singson has crafted flood management masterplan that would be implemented over more than two decades. But plan should be expanded, he said.
“Although it will work… and it crosses most of Luzon, for NCR ,National Capital Region…but we have no choice, we have to do something…we have to learn how to handle new normal,” Chief Executive said, adding plan would take 20 to 22 years.
Marcos was referring to P350-billion flood control masterplan, expected to benefit about 1.2 million people.
FMJ said because of sea level rise caused by climate change, dikes built across country could no longer protect low-lying communities during high tides.
Building higher dikes,would not solve problem, Marcos said, adding flood control masterplan must manage flooding to protect “production areas, residential communities and other important infrastructure.”
The President also expressed hope country could tap assistance from Loss and Damage Fund to find better solutions to flooding and other effects of climate change.
Meanwhile, Rizal Gov. Nina Ynarez told Marcos newly inaugurated Upper Wawa Dam in Rodriguez, Rizal was filled by two days of nonstop rain.
“We were together with inauguration of Wawa Dam and they were saying that…we saw it was empty and it would take six months for them to fill it up…as of now, with two days’ rain, it’s almost filled up,” Ynarez said.
Ynarez said without Wawa Dam, “most likely San Mateo and Montalban would be down and definitely Marikina and parts of Quezon City and even Pasig would be affected because of Laguna Lake.”
The governor submitted last year to Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) plan for reservoir below Wawa Dam.
DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan, among Cabinet secretaries who joined Marcos in Rizal, said proposed reservoir in San Mateo and series of small dams below Wawa “is now under consideration for financing by Japanese government.”
Marcos also directed study on building of weirs along tributaries to control water flow from Sierra Madre down to Rizal and Metro Manila, as unimpeded water flow causes severe flooding during rainy season.
Weir is small barrier built across stream or river to control and raise water level slightly on upstream side, essentially small-scale dam.
“I don’t see weir here in this country seems to be appropriate for us…maybe it’s applicable here in the Philippines,” the President said.
Proposed 50-year drainage masterplan for Metro Manila is still in the works, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said.
MMDA general manager Procopio Lipana said agency has submitted masterplan’s terms of reference to DPWH that could help create and implement it.
Masterplan would determine “detailed engineering design” of drainage systems in entire Metro Manila, according to MMDA Acting Chairman Romando Artes in previous interviews late last year.
He stressed it would seek to prevent unstable flow of excess water due to varying sizes of drainages.
Proposed 50-year drainage masterplan would be funded by World Bank.
During torrential rains from southwest monsoon carried by Typhoon Carina, MMDA reported existing drainage systems in Metro Manila carried 74 mm per hour for more than 10 hours.
Figure was more than twice carrying capacity of drainages at 30 mm per hour, it noted.
Lipana said with rainfall from southwest monsoon allegedly exceeded that of Typhoon Ondoy in 2009, both drainages and pumping stations operated by MMDA could have been overwhelmed by such volume that was “beyond their capacity.”
Except for Libertad pumping station that caught fire, rest of 71 pumping stations remained operational during incessant rainfall, he added.
Lipana also blamed garbage for widespread flooding in metropolis, as well as lack of discipline of residents particularly those living near waterways in disposing their trash. He mentioned incident wherein flooding along EDSA near old MMDA building in Makati City subsided after agency’s personnel performed declogging and retrieved waste from nearby drainage.
Sen. Grace Poe questioned bloated budget for flood control projects which still failed to curb flooding in Metro Manila and nearby areas after Typhoon Carina.
“Worsening flooding in Metro Manila appears not to complement increasing budget we are allocating for flood control projects every year,” Poe, former public services committee chair, said.
Poe vowed to scrutinize proposed flood control budget next year of DPWH and MMDA.
Poe is new Senate finance committee chair, taking on position vacated by former senator now Education Secretary Sonny Angara.
Finance committee is tasked to tackle national government expenditure program.
“In upcoming budget deliberation, we will scrutinize flood control budget of DPWH, MMDA and other agencies…did flood just flush away billions of funds for flood mitigation, with every downpour, our taxpayers are left shortchanged and wading through damaging and disease-carrying floods,” Poe asked.
According to 2024 General Appropriations Act, DPWH has P244.6-billion budget in its flood management program, significant chunk of its total P996.79-billion budget this year.
During budget deliberations last year, then senator now Senate President Francis Escudero hit DPWH’s proposed P255-billion flood control budget, surpassed total proposed budget of other agencies like the Department of National Defense and Department of Social Welfare and Development.
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