PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Friday that the government would implement more initiatives to reduce flooding in Quezon City.
The president made the remark as he inspected the newly rehabilitated drainage system along G. Araneta Avenue. The project is under the government's “Oplan Kontra Baha” program.
"So far, it appears to be effective. I spoke with several residents, and they said that in the past, floodwaters would rise above the second floor of buildings here even during relatively light rainfall," Marcos said, noting the area is more vulnerable to flooding because of its location.
"If you look around, every road leading out of this area is uphill. Everywhere you go from here is uphill, so all the water naturally flows into this place," Marcos said.
"That is why proper drainage is so important. The water collected here is now being directed to the San Juan River. That is our plan," he added.
Marcos said sustained declogging is needed to further mitigate the flooding in the place.
He added that another issue to be tackled is the garbage collection in the area.
"The next problem we need to address is garbage collection. What happens is that when floodwater comes in, it carries trash with it, which ends up clogging the drainage system again," Marcos said.
"So we will ask for help from the local government. We will request assistance from Mayor Joy Belmonte and see if we can create a system for continuous declogging," he added.
The president acknowledged the declogging efforts of the residents but said it's only on a small scale. He said that considering the volume of garbage, a proper system is needed to ensure that all the trash is collected whenever heavy rains are expected.
"Once we fix that, I believe people will really feel the difference. In fact, residents say they are already noticing that the floodwaters no longer rise as they used to," Marcos said.
Marcos said anti-flood measures are also beneficial to small business owners in the area whose goods are damaged every time there is a flood.
"That's why it is so important that we fix this. That's what we have done, and we will continue doing it," he said.
The president said that the drainage project is only halfway complete, with similar installations planned for the opposite side of the road.
"What has been completed so far covers only one side — about half of the project. We will also carry out the same work on the other side to ensure water flows out more quickly and to prevent flooding along G. Araneta Avenue here in Tatalon," he said.
The Department of Public Works and Highways completed the upgrade of the drainage system along G. Araneta Avenue in February 2026.
The rehabilitation project, which costs P500 million, involves the installation of two 1.50-meter-diameter high-density polyethylene pipes as part of the upgrading and rehabilitation of the existing drainage system.
It aims to address recurring flooding along G. Araneta Avenue, from Kaliraya Street to E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue, with the drainage system ultimately discharging into the San Juan River.
