NEWLY appointed Public Works Secretary Giovanni Lopez will inspect on Monday a flood mitigation structure in Calumpit, Bulacan.
The inspection comes as the Marcos administration moves to ensure the uninterrupted implementation of critical flood control, drainage and road infrastructure projects despite the change in leadership at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Calumpit is among the flood-prone areas in Bulacan where the government has been pushing flood mitigation interventions, including the construction of a replacement flood wall or revetment to better protect riverbanks and vulnerable communities. The new structure is nearly 1.5 meters higher than the previous one.
Other flood control projects in Bulacan include the replacement of a defective dike in Barangay Calizon, where an earlier inspection revealed hollow sections and inadequate steel reinforcement.
The replacement involves 15-meter sheet piles intended to protect around 3,000 residents.
The DPWH is pursuing similar projects in neighboring Hagonoy, including the dredging of Iba-Wawa Creek, improvements to drainage channels leading to Labangan Channel and the Angat River, and the deployment of a mobile pump at the Iba Pumping Station.
In Pampanga, the government plans the dredging and widening of the Pampanga River and its tributaries, particularly around Macabebe and Masantol, and building pumping stations, flood walls and dikes.
These projects form part of the administration’s broader Oplan Kontra Baha, which seeks to address flooding by improving waterways, drainage systems, pumping facilities and protective structures.
Lopez is expected to sustain major road rehabilitation projects initiated under former Public Works secretary Vince Dizon.
These include the second phase of the EDSA rehabilitation, covering the stretch from Orense Street in Makati City to Monumento in Caloocan City.
The project involves asphalt overlay, concrete reblocking, road milling, drainage improvements and wider sidewalks, with completion targeted in 2027.
The government has also ordered the rehabilitation of C5 Road, from Kalayaan Interchange in Taguig City to Capitol Hills Drive along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City, with work expected to begin before the end of the year.
