Marcos: New initiative could cut flooding by 60% in 2026

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Wednesday launched an initiative that could reduce flooding by 60% next year, as the country continues to suffer from widespread flooding that has exposed irregularities in government-led flood mitigation projects.

Speaking at the Balihatar Creek in Parañaque City on Wednesday, Mr. Marcos said the Greater Metro Manila Waterways Clearing and Cleaning Operations will serve as a template for similar projects in flood-prone provinces, including Cebu, Bacolod, Roxas City, Bulacan, Pampanga, Laguna, Davao and Cagayan de Oro.

“It’s the beginning of a very wide-ranging program to at least partially solve the problem of flooding, especially in the urban areas, especially in Metro Manila and the other highly urbanized cities and provinces,” he said.

The initiative, which sets up regular cleaning, dredging, and rehabilitation of waterways, marks the Marcos administration’s bid to overhaul the country’s aging and corruption-plagued flood control system through sustained maintenance and stricter oversight.

This comes as the country reels from the twin typhoons that hit in November, one of which is Typhoon Kalmaegi (Local name: Tino) which affected parts of Visayas, particularly submerging Cebu, where the highest death toll was recorded.

The first phase of the program will run for nine months from November 2025 to July 2026, focusing on clearing garbage, deepening spillways, and desilting creeks that have become too shallow.

Mr. Marcos said that in some areas, waterways have become so clogged that up to three meters of excavation are required to restore normal flow.

Initial studies estimated the cleanup could reduce flooding by as much as 60% once completed, he noted.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will later incorporate maintenance work into its regular operating budget to ensure continuous operations.

Mr. Marcos said the administration aims to transform Oplan Kontra Baha into a long-term, integrated flood management framework that includes watershed rehabilitation and upstream impounding systems to prevent floods before they reach urban centers.

“This is a long-term solution, and it is something that has been proposed for a very long time but somehow has never been implemented, and we are doing that now.”

“I am very optimistic that once we complete most of this, we will immediately feel by next year’s rainy season that flooding has been significantly reduced,” he added in Filipino.

The project draws on findings from Project NOAH, a nationwide flood risk assessment, and seeks to modernize the country’s flood management systems amid intensifying climate risks.

The Philippines is currently probing a controversial multibillion-peso flood control scam that has cast a shadow over the government’s infrastructure program, exposing alleged collusion between public officials and private contractors in the implementation of drainage and flood mitigation projects.

Investigators have flagged ghost contracts, overpriced materials, and substandard works that failed to deliver lasting protection against flooding — fueling public outrage and prompting Mr. Marcos to order a nationwide review of all ongoing and completed flood control projects.

Located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippines ranks among the world’s most disaster-prone countries.

Its position exposes it to frequent earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis, a geologic reality that has both shaped its terrain and continually tested its infrastructure, disaster readiness, and economic resilience. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana