MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said a national flood control master plan had existed for decades but was never fully implemented, an admission coming as widespread flooding again exposed the country’s vulnerability to heavy rains.
Marcos said his administration has only now begun executing the long-term strategy as the government confronts recurring floods and increasingly severe weather conditions.
“We already have a masterplan. It’s just never been executed. We are only executing it now,” Marcos told reporters Wednesday while inspecting rehabilitation work on a bridge in Tarlac that recently collapsed amid heavy rains.
“We have had a master plan for decades pero walang ginawa. Ngayon lang natin sinisimulan,” he added.
The President’s remarks came as heavy monsoon rains triggered flooding across Central Luzon, Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon, renewing questions over the effectiveness and coordination of the government’s flood control programs.
Marcos said the government is shifting toward a more comprehensive and long-term approach to flood management instead of relying on individual infrastructure projects.
The strategy includes improvements to drainage systems and waterways and stricter implementation of land-use regulations intended to reduce the exposure of communities to flooding.
Marcos also called on national government agencies and local government units to strictly enforce existing regulations, particularly restrictions covering no-build zones in areas vulnerable to floods and other natural hazards.
The President said government policies and disaster preparations must continue to adjust as the Philippines faces increasingly extreme weather events associated with climate change.
Marcos has repeatedly stressed the need for coordinated flood control measures, arguing that isolated projects alone cannot solve persistent flooding in many parts of the country.
His latest statement puts renewed focus on the failure to fully carry out an existing national flood control strategy despite decades of recurring floods and billions of pesos spent on flood mitigation infrastructure./PN
