MANILA — Malacañang is open to crafting a nationwide flood control master plan but wants experts and government agencies to first determine whether a single national framework or a combination of river basin-specific strategies would provide the most effective defense against chronic flooding.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the Marcos administration is willing to consider a consolidated national strategy following Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon’s disclosure during a congressional budget hearing that the country currently has no single master plan covering flood control and drainage nationwide.
Dizon said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has traditionally relied on separate plans designed for individual river basins.
Castro stressed that the absence of a consolidated plan does not mean the government is ruling one out. Any nationwide strategy, however, must be backed by careful technical assessment and account for the widely differing terrain, waterways and flooding conditions across the country.
She said the administration is also prepared to adopt several approaches simultaneously if studies establish that they can complement one another and deliver more effective flood mitigation.
The Palace official noted that a flood control master plan had reportedly been developed during the administration of former President Benigno Aquino III but was never implemented.
She said conflicting accounts have also emerged over whether copies of the plan were properly turned over to the succeeding administration.
For now, Castro said the DPWH is studying flood mitigation measures based on major river basins, an approach she described as more appropriate to the Philippines’ geography.
The government’s flood control strategy has come under heightened scrutiny amid persistent flooding in several parts of the country and allegations of irregularities involving infrastructure projects.
Castro maintained that the administration’s priority is to identify measures capable of producing concrete results rather than simply reviving an old master plan without first determining whether it remains appropriate under present conditions.
The Palace position leaves open the possibility of eventually establishing a national flood control framework while retaining localized river basin plans to address the distinct hydrological and geographical conditions of flood-prone areas./PN
