Gov’t to address 70-80% of flooding in Metro Manila, says DPWH

MANILA, Philippines — The government is aiming to mitigate floods in Metro Manila by 70 to 80 percent amid its flood control and drainage projects, said Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan on Tuesday.

Bonoan made the pronouncement after a meeting between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and other government agencies, including the DPWH, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

“I think 70 to 80 percent, including the drainage program inside Metro Manila, addressing the garbage, and our informal settlers… I think 70 to 80 percent, we’ll be able to mitigate the flooding problems in Metro Manila,” Bonoan said in a mix of Filipino and English in a chance interview with Palace reporters.

“Hindi siguro lahat (Maybe not all). I think we’ll try to maximize whatever we can during this administration. ‘Yun ang [directive] ni Presidente sa’min ngayon (That is the President’s directive for us), try to maximize whatever we can in the remaining years of his administration,” he added.

READ: Metro Manila flood control plan needs update – Romualdez, Momo

Bonoan stated that the government is already implementing a P351-billion “master plan” against flooding, which was approved during the Aquino administration in 2012 and includes the construction of the Marikina Dam and the Parañaque spillway.

“This is the master plan that we are implementing. I think, wala pa namang pagbabago (There have been no changes yet). The components that were laid out in the master plan are still there and this is what we are now implementing actually,” said Bonoan.

Apart from additional dams, such as the Marikina Dam and the Parañaque spillway, the said plan also includes the Manggahan Control Gate Structure which aims to impound floodwaters from the Sierra Madre in Laguna Lake to prevent them from going to Metro Manila.

However, Bonoan admitted that despite being approved over a decade ago, the master plan is only 30 percent complete.

When asked if the DPWH can complete the master plan within Marcos’ term, Bonoan pointed out that the projects the plan includes are “mega projects” whose implementation depends on “resource availability and the economic viability.”

“We have three and half more years to effectively implement all these projects. If we can start these projects [and then] be carried on to other administrations, this would be good enough,” he said.

Bonoan during the briefing announced that DPWH has so far completed about 5,521 flood control projects, with 5,000 more already in the pipeline.

Despite these developments, Bonoan said there are still several problems the government has to address, from the implementation of its master plans, as well as the upgrading of Metro Manila’s drainage system.

Citing an unspecified study, Bonoan said 70 percent of Metro Manila’s drainage system is silted with garbage among other things.

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