Antonio A. Ver
Today’s big talk is flood control corruption proclaimed from Malacañang and Congress. The privilege speech of Sen. Lacson was a litany of profundities. (August 20, 2025). Soon, “Mahiya naman kayo!” will reach the Supreme Court, too.
Perennial, grandstanding, investigation, sound bites, deaths, diseases, unending sufferings. Ask I must: Has there been a solution offered? Like from the song Vincent by Don McLean, “perhaps they never will?”
Fact 1: 18 Major River Basins in entire country. See Photo here
Fact 2: “Based on the records of flood control strategies from pre-Hispanic to the present, we can see that the focus since the creation of the (bureau) is mainly on risk reduction and not on risk avoidance. Most of the projects are engineering in nature and very few dealt with land use, thus neglecting the more important issues on housing, job creation, and others. Esteros and other natural drains are neglected and become breeding grounds of garbage, literally and figuratively. And even major engineering solutions such as the Manggahan Floodway just transferred the risk especially if the entirety of the proposal is not built.” (Rinen & Maki, n.d.). See Flood Control Projects in the Philippines here.
Fact 3:
The State of Floods, Data from Energies River Corp.
On May 12, 2025, we culled the “Projects” that have been the perennial reasons of flooding.
Upcoming & Proposed Projects
Laguna Lakeshore Road Network & Dike (LLDA) A 47-km dike with a highway to protect Laguna lakeshore communities.
Status: Awaiting full funding and approval.
Pampanga Delta & Mega Dike Expansion
Strengthening dikes to protect Pampanga and Bulacan from lahar and typhoon floods.
National Irrigation Administration (NIA) Flood Control Components
Integration of flood control in irrigation projects (e.g., in Central Luzon).
“Build Better More” Program (DPWH 2024 Priorities)
More flood control infrastructure under the 2024 DPWH budget (P822 billion allocated).
– –
Ahead of them, there are already 5 major projects that are ongoing, duly funded:
Ongoing Major Flood Control Projects
1. Metro Manila Flood Management Project (MMFMP) – Phase 1 & 2
Funding: World Bank & AIIB ($1.1 billion total)
Scope:
Construction and improvement of 36 pumping stations (e.g., in Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela).
Modernization of drainage systems in flood-prone areas.
Resettlement of informal settlers along waterways.
Status: Partially completed (Phase 1 ongoing, Phase 2 in procurement).
2. Pasig-Marikina River Channel Improvement Project
Goal: Widen and deepen the river to reduce flooding in Marikina, Pasig, and Manila.
Status: Ongoing dredging and embankment construction.
3. Cavite Industrial Area Flood Management Project
Funding: World Bank ($207 million)
Scope: Drainage upgrades, river improvements, and floodgates in Cavite’s industrial zones.
4. Cagayan River Flood Control Projects
Goal: Mitigate massive floods in Cagayan Valley (e.g., 2020 Typhoon Ulysses).
Actions: Dredging, river channel widening, and construction of floodwalls.
5. Mindanao River Basin Flood Control (Cotabato & Maguindanao)
Goal: Reduce flooding in the Rio Grande de Mindanao basin.
Status: Ongoing dredging and flood barrier construction.
Fact 4: Marilao-Obando-Meycauayan
Throughout Bulacan, rain waters and wastes from Valenzuela City, Metro Manila flow and plough into the tributaries and rivulets of Marilao-Obando-Meycauayan that dumps, congests and terminates in Meycauayan River. See Meycuayan River Primer here.
Fact 5: The Batangas Climate Sustainability Strategy focuses on river restoration and flood control civil infrastructure to effectively mitigate the risks of inundation and dangerous landslides in the CALABARZON Region. With its 88 rivers, Batangas becomes vulnerable to the impact of monsoon and typhoons pouring heavy rainfall that drowns the Region and Metro Manila. To jumpstart, private sector initiativedesilts and dredges waterways, swamps, creeks, dams and rivers. Official development assistance builds civil infrastructure and massive flood control pumping, drainage and sewage systems.
Fact 6: KAMANAVA sans Batangas. See River Sustainability Project here
Untried approach
Corruption does not solely come from construction contracts; rather, it is attributable to systemic defects and a disparate project management structure. There is no lean process thinking and execution. It’s not investigation that turns endless.
Unwieldy floods flow from the country’s 18 Major River Basins; yet, infrastructure planning and preparation, implementation and management are lumped into the DPWH. For more than 65 years or so; nevertheless, flood control projects have been funded by the biggest ODA: WB, ADB, JICA and as far back as OECF Yen loans, and today by Korea.
The following must be addressed:
i. The powers of DPWH must be rationalised. Its herculean tasks have been left unattended even by the best of managership.
Perhaps, its “Unified Project Management Office-Flood Control Management Cluster” can be transferred to a focused agency?
ii. The proposed Department of Water Resources must be more than regulatory and policy.
It must have planning, execution, management and control. Thus, it must be able to “Plan, Do, Check, Act, a four-step iterative management method used for continuous improvement of processes and results. It’s also known as the Shewhart cycle or the Deming cycle. The PDCA cycle is a continuous loop, meaning it’s designed to be repeated to refine and improve processes over time.” And, it can “Standardize-Do-Check-Act, a quality control cycle.”
iii. What happened to the Climate Change Commission? Has it delivered Climate Sustainability Leadership? Can it take over the “Unified Project Management Office-Flood Control Management Cluster?”
Reference:
Rinen, R. M. E., & Maki, N. (n.d.). Flood control projects in the Philippines: A historical overview. Muhon: A Journal of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and the Designed Environment, 9. University of the Philippines College of Architecture.