Metro Manila mayors, including Ruffy Biazon of Muntinlupa, visited Rotterdam City in the Netherlands to learn about its flood control system.
Biazon and the mayors of Quezon City, San Juan, Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Pasay City, Valenzuela, Mandaluyong, and Pateros are in the Netherlands for a study tour sponsored by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
Muntinlupa Mayor Ruffy Biazon with Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb (Photo from Mayor Ruffy Biazon)
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Metro Manila mayors with Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb (Photo from Mayor Ruffy Biazon)
Metro Manila mayors with with Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb (Photo from Mayor Ruffy Biazon)
They met Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb who took them on a tour of the city’s various flood control infrastructures.
"Long-term plans are important to solve big problems of big cities. Permanent solutions are not done overnight. To solve flooding and other issues, realistic, effective, and doable plans must be made that can be implemented by succeeding leadership," said Biazon.
Rotterdam, like many cities in the Netherlands, lie below sea level, making flooding a perennial problem.
With a combination of planned infrastructure projects and policies, Rotterdam was able to adapt and create workable solutions to enable citizens to live productively.
Biazon noted that unlike existing solutions, Rotterdammers didn't focus on removing or preventing the floodwaters from coming in, but were able to devise creative solutions for other uses of the excess water, such as a catchment basin that doubles as an Olympic rowing training and competition venue.
The MMDA organized the study tour of the Netherlands to allow the Metro Manila mayors to learn the best practices in flood control, solid waste management, waste-to-energy systems, and inclusive urban mobility.
"The Netherlands is one of the best cities in the world, and their experience makes them the best experts on the subject matters of our study tour. We expect to learn a lot and implement many of the things we see and learn here," said Biazon.
Joining Biazon in the tour are Councilors Marissa Rongavilla, Ivee Arciaga-Tadefa, Alexson Diaz, and Sangguniang Kabataan Federation President Ken Takagi.