Robredo urges local governments to invest in flood control infrastructure

MANILA, Philippines — As Typhoon Rolly battered the Bicol region on Sunday morning, Vice President Leni Robredo called on local governments to start planning and investing in long-term flood infrastructure.

In her weekly radio show, Robredo, who hails from Bicol, noted that despite the country being prone to typhoons, there is still a glaring lack of infrastructure, like long-term drainage and seawall, in the provinces.

“This remains my No. 1 frustration,” Robredo said. “It cannot be that every time disaster strikes, planning remains at each individual city or municipal level. It has to be contiguous and simultaneous, with other local governments because the experience of one will be the experience of all. [It] cannot be that every time this happens, we end up being helpless.”

Robredo cited reports from her own district in Calabanga, a coastal town in Camarines Sur, where flooding was already dangerously high around 6 a.m. when Typhoon Rolly was still not at its full strength.

“In Naga City, no matter how excellent the drainage system is, all that water feeds into the Bicol River. And when the river overflows, [there’s nothing we can do]. All of Naga will be submerged,” she added.

She emphasized the need not only for disaster response planning but also typhoon resilience infrastructure, such as drainage and seawall in danger zones and coastal areas.

Moreover, barangays should no longer declare one-story schools as evacuation centers as much as possible, especially in low-lying areas.