SENATE majority leader Joel Villanueva has called for a review of the various flood mitigation programs of the government amid continued floodings in Metro Manila and other highly urbanized and rural areas in the country.
“There is a need to review the policies and revisit the programs and plans of the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways), MMDA (Metropolitan Manila Development Authority), and DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources), and other relevant agencies on flood mitigation to ensure comprehensive solutions that will safeguard lives, minimize damages, and preserve the environment,” said Villanueva in filing Senate Resolution No. 693.
Villanueva noted that while flood control programs have been set in place, reports of floodings persist in various parts of the country, including Metro Manila, Dagupan City, Pampanga, Bataan, Bulacan, Lanao del Norte, Zamboanga City, Cebu City, and Davao City, to name a few.
He said that in 2004, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), in coordination with the DPWH, conducted a study on enhancing capabilities in flood control and recommended the preparation of a comprehensive flood control implementation plan, establishment of data management system, launching of an education and information campaign, and the creation of a Principal River Flood Control Program Committee, among others.
He said studies were also conducted by JICA in 2015 for Cebu, the World Bank for the modernization of drainage areas in Metro Manila in 2017, and Japan’s Ministry of Education in 2022 on enhancing Davao City’s flood resiliency through an Online Synthesis System for Sustainability and Resilience in 2022.
Last year, Villanueva said JICA and other concerned local agencies discussed the proposed Parañaque Spillway Project that proposes the construction of an underground drainage channel to catch overflowing flood water from Laguna Lake that will then be pumped out to the Manila Bay.
