A resident rides an old refrigerator to avoid a flooded street caused by heavy rains from Tropical Storm Yagi, locally called Enteng, on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024, in Cainta, Rizal province, Philippines. —AP Photo/Aaron Favila
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) assured senators on Monday that it was implementing measures to mitigate flooding in the country.
Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan made the statement during the Senate hearing on his department’s proposed P898-billion budget for 2025.
Several senators pointed out that many Filipinos still suffer from perennial flooding despite the big budget allocated to the DPWH for flood control and management.
READ: Marcos calls for updated flood hazard maps
According to Bonoan, the agency has been implementing flood control projects under the Build Better More program of the Marcos administration.
“But at the end of the day, we cannot experience its benefits by next year … we just want to manage the expectations of our fellow citizens because despite the huge funding we put in, once we’re hit by the ‘habagat’ (southwest monsoon), we’ll get flooded again,” Sen. Nancy Binay told Bonoan.
“That’s true. But there will certainly be an improvement. [Flooding] will most likely be mitigated by the infrastructure program that we are undertaking at this time,” Bonoan responded.
“We won’t be able to totally eradicate flooding, but certainly there will be improvement in addressing flood control, especially in low-lying areas,” he said.
Last month, the Senate also grilled Bonoan on the flooding problem, including the widespread flooding in Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon at the height of Supertyphoon Carina.
He admitted that despite the billions of pesos previously allocated for flood control programs, the country still lacks an integrated flood control master plan.
He explained that the 5,500 completed projects, which President Marcos reported in his third State of the Nation Address were just “immediate relief projects.”
“These are immediate projects and engineering interventions all over the country that are not part of the master plan. These are stand-alone projects to provide immediate relief and protection to low-lying areas,” he said during the hearing in August.