ILOILO City — Repeated flooding across dozens of barangays is pushing the city government to move beyond piecemeal drainage solutions and pursue an interconnected citywide system capable of channeling floodwaters toward designated outfalls and pumping stations.
While the comprehensive drainage system is still being developed, the City Engineering Office is teaming up with the General Services Office (GSO), Infrastructure and Facility Conservation Office (IFCO) and City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) to bring immediate declogging operations directly to barangays.
The intervention follows another round of flooding on Sept. 7 that affected at least 14 barangays in five districts, with floodwaters reaching 10 to 12 inches in Zone 7 Extension of Barangay Don Esteban in Lapuz district.
Flooding was also recorded in Sinikway and Loboc in Lapuz, Divinagracia in La Paz district, and areas in Molo, Mandurriao and City Proper districts.
The latest flooding came barely a month after heavy rains inundated 65 barangays across Iloilo City in August and displaced more than 3,200 residents. Jaro recorded the highest number of affected barangays during that episode, while La Paz was also among the hardest-hit districts.
City Engineer Mavi Gustilo said the city will initially conduct declogging operations from Sinikway toward Don Esteban in Lapuz, where a pumping station is located, before extending assistance to other barangays.
But Gustilo stressed that declogging is only an immediate, palliative response and will not solve the city’s flooding problem without a comprehensive drainage network transcending barangay boundaries.
“We will gradually lay out the drainage system. It should not be per barangay but comprehensive. It cannot be that it is only in one barangay and then another system in another barangay.”
The long-term objective, she said, is to connect drainage lines so floodwaters can be efficiently directed toward proper discharge points and pumping stations.
“Our drainage system should have connectivity to our outfall, with our goal being to connect all drainage systems to the pumping station in the La Paz area.”
Gustilo said constructing or clearing drainage lines within individual barangays would have limited impact if these were not connected to a larger network capable of carrying water toward an appropriate outfall.
“We need to gradually put the drainage system in place, not only per barangay but comprehensively.”
La Paz has repeatedly emerged as one of Iloilo City’s flood-prone districts. In July, eight La Paz barangays were among 40 city barangays inundated during rains enhanced by Tropical Storm Kiyapo.
The city earlier made the district a priority under “Oplan Kontra Baha,” which initially concentrated waterway cleanup operations along the Jaro River and nearby creeks affecting Ticud, Baldoza, Ingore, Caingin, Tabuc Suba, Banuyao and Hinactacan.
Previous city assessments have identified clogged drainage inlets and the lack of drainage connectivity among problems contributing to flooding.
In 2025, the city government created a Drainage Task Force to undertake a comprehensive assessment of drainage infrastructure and identify critical flood-prone areas, including La Paz-Huervana, Dungon Creek and other vulnerable zones.
For now, the city government will continue coordinating with barangays to clear clogged drainage lines, particularly during periods of heavy rainfall.
Gustilo, however, maintained that repeated declogging alone cannot provide the long-term answer.
The city ultimately needs a connected drainage network capable of moving water from individual communities toward outfalls and pumping stations — rather than separate drainage systems ending at barangay boundaries./PN
