Marcos orders DPWH to fast-track ‘holistic’ flood control projects ~ HUMAN RIGHTS PROMOTIONS

Friday, August 21, 2026

Marcos orders DPWH to fast-track ‘holistic’ flood control projects

Friday, August 21, 2026 Herbert Curia - Promoter No comments

From the Website of INQUIRER
links https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2287466/marcos-orders-dpwh-to-fast-track-holistic-projects-to-address-flooding

Marcos orders DPWH to fast-track ‘holistic’ flood control projects

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and other concerned agencies to work out a “holistic approach” to addressing the perennial flooding problem in the country.

In a briefing in Malacañang on Tuesday, Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said Marcos directed the department to take “fast action” while pursuing longer-term solutions to flooding and ensuring that the flood control projects it would construct are properly coordinated with local government units (LGUs).

“Holistic solutions take time. There are no overnight solutions to this flooding problem,” Dizon said.

“We have been experiencing floods for decades. This is not a problem that can be fixed overnight. But the president’s directive is to speed up our actions so we can address the problem,” he added.

According to Dizon, since the reforms on flood control projects implemented last year, the government and communities “are seeing small improvements, but they are not enough.”

“We have to keep working. We have to fast-track the projects. What is important is that we implement the right projects,” he said.

Marcos’ order came anew following the heavy rains brought by the southwest monsoon (habagat) that caused flooding in different parts of Luzon, including Metro Manila, and the Visayas. The western part of the country has been experiencing heavy rains since the start of August due to the enhanced habagat and consecutive tropical cyclones.

Dizon said Marcos ordered the DPWH to coordinate all flood-control projects with LGUs, which is a major shift from the past practice of LGUs complaining that these projects were being implemented without their knowledge.

He noted that the DPWH would not proceed with projects that were not aligned with local master plans, particularly the drainage plans of LGUs.

Projects proposed under the 2027 national budget would also require certifications from regional and local development councils and the concerned LGUs.

Despite the supposed improvements and reforms in flood control projects, different parts of Luzon, including Metro Manila, were flooded after torrential rains on Monday.

Dizon said, however, that some flood-prone areas in Metro Manila, including Camanava, which is composed of the cities of Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, and Valenzuela, had lower flood levels or flooding that receded quickly after the repair of pumping stations and a navigational gate.

“These projects clearly work,” he noted, saying that such models should be replicated in other flood-prone areas in other parts of the country.

According to Dizon, the DPWH will start a drainage project along España Boulevard this September to address the flooding in Sampaloc and nearby districts in Manila.

He said the existing drainage system in the area was more than 50 years old and had never been replaced. Broader drainage improvements on España Boulevard will be included in the proposed 2027 national budget.

The government also plans to build detention basins to prevent flooding in different parts of Quezon City and nearby areas.

The DPWH was looking at an area in Sitio Kaingin Bukid in Barangay Apolonio Samson, Quezon City, where floodwaters could be temporarily stored before reaching the San Juan River.

The overflow of the San Juan River caused flooding in different parts of Quezon City on Monday.

The DPWH will also revisit previous plans to build water impounding systems in other parts of Metro Manila, including those in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, and in Liwasang Bonifacio, Plaza Rajah Sulayman, and Bustillos Market in Manila.

Dizon said there is also a need to build dikes and seawalls in Hagonoy and Paombong in Bulacan province to prevent water from Manila Bay from entering these heavily flood-prone coastal municipalities, especially during high tides.

According to Palace press officer Claire Castro, the National Irrigation Administration will also discuss with the DPWH a proposal to construct at least two large dams that could help address flooding in the Pampanga River Basin in Central Luzon. /atmQuezon City residents wade through Mother Ignacia Avenue, which is again inundated by floodwaters amid the downpour on Monday, Aug, 17, 2026, still brought by the southwest monsoon. —Photo by Grig C. Montegrande | INQUIRER