THE government will carry out a P351 billion Flood Management Master Plan, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Saturday, as he emphasized the need to administer long-term solutions to solve the massive flooding experienced by the country.
Marcos visited several towns in Central Luzon earlier this week to inspect the effects of the massive flooding caused by the heavy monsoon rains.
During the inspection, Marcos confirmed that a master plan already exists, and his administration will execute it.
“We already have a master plan. It’s just never been executed. We’re only executing it now,” he said, noting that previous administrations did not implement the master plan.
Malacañang previously said the administration was reviewing the Aquino-Singson Master Plan, approved in 2012 by then President Benigno Aquino III and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Rogelio Singson.
The DPWH is moving to update flood management master plans across the country as part of efforts to strengthen long-term flood resilience, its top official said Saturday.
The initiative follows the president’s directive to improve the country’s flood resilience, said Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon.
Dizon noted that flood master plans in many areas are either outdated or incomplete, making their updating necessary in light of changing climate conditions.
“These master plans are important because they guide the engineering design of flood mitigation infrastructure,” he said.
To effectively update the plans, the DPWH is working with the University of the Philippines–Project Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (UP-NOAH), local government units and other government agencies to incorporate current hazard maps and scientific data.
The updated plans will serve as a technical basis for determining and designing future flood management projects, with the approach taking into account individual river basins, urban areas and other flood-prone locations rather than relying on a single, outdated nationwide blueprint.
Specifically, Dizon said the DPWH has also prioritized updating the flood control master plans for major river basins all over the country.
He revealed this early that out of 18 major river basins and other critical principal rivers, 16 of them have already been updated, including their feasibility studies.
The top DPWH official said the updated master plans for the Cagayan and Pasig-Marikina-Laguna de Bay river basins are targeted for completion by the end of 2026.
More heavy rains ahead
The southwest monsoon, or “habagat,” is expected to bring 50 to 100 millimeters of rain over several areas in Luzon through Tuesday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Saturday.
In its 5 p.m. weather advisory, the weather bureau said Zambales, Bataan, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, Metro Manila, Cavite, Rizal, Batangas and Occidental Mindoro may receive 50 to 100 mm of rain from Saturday until Sunday afternoon.
From Sunday afternoon to Monday afternoon, the same rainfall range is expected over Zambales, Bataan, Tarlac, Pampanga, Cavite, Batangas and Occidental Mindoro.
From Monday afternoon to Tuesday afternoon, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Abra, Benguet, Zambales, Bataan, Tarlac, Pampanga, Cavite, Batangas and Occidental Mindoro may receive 50 to 100 mm of rain.
Pagasa said rainfall may be higher in mountainous and elevated areas. The impact in some areas may also be worsened by significant rainfall already received.
Thirteen local government units (LGUs) in Metro Manila and several municipalities and provinces in Luzon suspended face-to-face classes at all levels in public and private schools Saturday as the southwest monsoon continued to affect the region.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) identified the affected Metro Manila LGUs as Caloocan, Navotas, Valenzuela, Malabon, Marikina, Quezon City, Mandaluyong, Pasay, Manila, Taguig, Parañaque, Las Piñas and Pateros.
Caloocan, Navotas, Malabon, Quezon City, Mandaluyong, Pasay, Manila, Taguig, Las Piñas and Pateros also shifted classes to Alternative Delivery Mode, while Valenzuela, Marikina and Parañaque suspended face-to-face classes at all levels in public and private schools.
In Cavite, the Municipality of Naic suspended face-to-face classes at all levels in public and private schools on Saturday.
Mayor Rommel Magbitang said modular and online learning would be implemented to ensure the continuity of education while keeping students safe.
In Batangas, the municipalities of Nasugbu and Calatagan also suspended face-to-face classes at all levels in public and private schools on Saturday.
Nasugbu cited the continuing threat from the habagat and said appropriate learning modalities would be implemented to ensure the continuation of learning.
In Calatagan, Mayor Rico Puno ordered the suspension upon the recommendation of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office as a precaution against the continuing effects of the habagat.
