No national master plan for flooding, admits DPWH

MANILA, Philippines— The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Thursday admitted that there was no national master plan yet to address floods in the Philippines, as planning was largely limited per area. 

Senators were eager to question officials from the DPWH during a Committee on Public Works hearing, with lawmakers interjecting in DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan’s opening statement and beginning their questioning before the other agency heads were able to speak. 

According to Bonoan, there are 18 major river basins in the country and there are existing plans on how to mitigate each river basin. However, Bonoan admitted that many of these plans are still being updated. 

“So there’s an admission in the part of the DPWH, that in fact, a national flood control master plan still does not exist?” Sen. Imee Marcos asked. 

“To some extent that is correct, Madame Senator,” Bonoan replied. 

Sen. Joel Villauneva brought up Bonoan’s promise last year that the Central Luzon – Pampanga Floodway will commence this 2024. The DPWH chief said that the project could help mitigate the flooding in Bulacan and Pampanga. 

To Villanueva’s dismay, however, the project was still in its planning stages. Bonoan explained that they are in the detailed engineering stages. 

Super Typhoon Carina and the southwest monsoon triggered widespread floods in the Philippines. Some senators believed that flooding has gotten progressively worse in the past few years, despite the DPWH getting a massive chunk of the budget for flood projects.

“Taunan ng lumulobo ang budget ng DPWH para sa baha. Nasa P42 billion na lang, nung 2015, pero lumobo ng halos P244.7 billion nung 2024. It grew by over P200 billion. And in less than 10 years, may P1 trilyon budget kayo para sa baha,” Sen. Ramon Revilla, who chairs the Committee on Public Works, said. 

(Yearly, the DPWH’s budget for flood increases. In 2015, it was just at P42 billion, now it is at P244.5 billion in 2024. It grew by over P200 billion. And in less than 10 years, there is P1 trillion for floods.)