ON JULY 11–12, floods hit the northern part of Bacolod City and 16 villages in neighboring Talisay City. Five days later, another weather system triggered four straight days of flooding that swamped 18 towns and cities in southern Negros Occidental, killed six people, and affected more than 30,000 residents; some 22,000 were displaced and sheltered in evacuation centers through July 20.
The culprit: habagat (southwest monsoon) rains enhanced by Tropical Depression Crising.
In Bacolod, flooding has been widely blamed on basura (garbage), poor drainage, and river siltation. Former mayor–now congressman Albee Benitez said it’s time for the city to install six floodgates at P250 million each. That’s at least P1.5 billion.
Why wasn’t this done when he was mayor? Benitez said he proposed the project to the national government; it was supposedly included in the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) but “went missing” amid the budget insertion controversy. Really? He now vows to push for funding again. Let’s see.
For the moment, what’s clear is that basura, poor drainage, and clogged waterways are among the “unwanted inheritance” that Mayor Greg Gasataya received from the Benitez administration.
Gasataya also admits that beyond dredging, installing floodgates and pumping stations is “di kaya” (beyond the capacity) of the city’s regular budget. Even with P4.4 billion from national tax allotments and local revenues, the city must still seek national support — especially after contracting P6.5 billion in loans in 2023 and this year.
Question: When will those floodgates become reality — and will they really make the “City of Smiles” flood-free?
Mining, River Quarries
Moving south, the flooding from Bago City down to Hinoba-an was massive. Environmental groups are nearly unanimous in blaming what they call “development aggression.”
“Development aggression” refers to projects pursued in the name of progress but which inflict serious harm on people and the environment. In southern Negros Occidental, this includes metallic/mineral mining and widespread sand-and-gravel extraction in major rivers.
Except for Ilog, five local governments in the province’s 6th District — Kabankalan, Cauayan, Candoni, Sipalay, and Hinoba-an — host operations involving gold, silver, copper, manganese, and molybdenum, according to Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) Region 6 records.
Large-scale river quarrying occurs in Bago, while numerous small-scale (five hectares and below) operations with permits from the Provincial Environment and Management Office (PEMO) are active along the rivers of Kabankalan, Binalbagan, Isabela, Himamaylan, and La Castellana.
Randy James Rojo, co-founder of the Group of Environmental Socialists (GOES), argues that both mining and river quarrying amount to “human abuse against the environment.”
Loopholes, Gaps
Let’s reflect on the warning from Rusty Biñas, founder of the environmental watchdog Green Alert Network in the Asia-Pacific. Open-pit mining, he says, strips vegetation and leads to desertification, undermining soil and water conservation. Vegetation functions like a sponge — a natural reservoir that slows runoff and absorbs rainfall.
Edwin Balajadia, area manager of the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM), adds more to the list of concerns behind the southern floods. He cites “loopholes and gaps in risk and hazards management — relentless forest denudation; large quarrying in rivers and coastal zones; inadequate and clogged drainage systems; solid waste problems; and underfunded CDRRM (City/Community Disaster Risk Reduction and Management) efforts — that must be resolved forthwith.”
***
Virgin Forests—What’s Left?
Newly appointed Department of Environment and Natural Resources assistant regional director for Technical Operations (Negros Island Region) Joan Nathaniel Gerangaya offers another layer of explanation: southern Negros now lacks virgin (old-growth) forest cover. Why does that matter?
Gerangaya says undisturbed forest — because of its complex structure, deep root systems, and thick organic floor — has far greater water-absorption and flood-mitigation capacity than man-made plantations established through later tree-planting efforts.
According to him, after the American-era Insular Lumber Company (ILCO) heavily logged Negros forests from the early 1900s through the 1970s, only one old-growth patch remained in the province’s south: the so-called “Wilderness” in Barangay Damutan, Hinoba-an — about 10 hectares, an environmental gem.
Illegal logging hit the area in 2020, but when Daph Reliquias became mayor of Hinoba-an in 2022, guarding the Wilderness became a priority. A P4-million watchtower now stands within the site, and round-the-clock protection has reportedly helped curb further incursions.
DRRM Summit & Rapid Assessment
Former governor — and now provincial consultant on energy and environment — Rafael “Lito” Coscolluela is calling for a province-wide Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Summit to conduct a rapid assessment and craft medium- and long-term anti-flood strategies without delay.
Coscolluela speaks from experience; he himself was flooded out in Sta. Clara Subdivision, Barangay Mandalagan, Bacolod, during the July 11–12 rains. His recommended priority actions: clear and dredge waterways; enforce strict solid-waste management; and prevent soil run-off that silts up rivers and estuaries.
Beyond Food Packs
The recent flooding in Bacolod and across Negros Occidental demands prompt, sustained action — ASAP, not someday. Local leaders must think beyond emergency relief if they hope to reduce future flood risk.
Negros solons, provincial officials, and LGUs need to act now na rather than leave communities wading through uncertainty every time heavy rains fall. Yes, mayors were visible on Facebook: consoling evacuees, distributing food packs, issuing instructions. That visibility matters — but it isn’t enough to give Negrenses peace of mind.
What people need is stability. As Coscolluela stressed, a rapid, province-wide flood assessment is essential. Food packs are lifesavers in the moment, but if flooding keeps repeating, we’re treating symptoms, not the disease. Stop-gap relief is fine; what we lack are fair, long-term solutions that protect every Negrosanon.
There’s a Hiligaynon reminder: “Indi na pwede magbalik pa ang baha sa bukid.”
So what else can we do — right now — against flooding? What are we waiting for? Let’s move!/PN
