Bulacan Governor Daniel R. Fernando and Vice Gov. Alex Castro on Wednesday, Aug. 9, received a positive response from the San Miguel Corporation (SMC) in their request for assistance to solve the flooding problem in the province.

On July 31, Fernando and Castro, together with Bulacan District Representatives Danny A. Domingo, Ambrosio "Boy" Cruz Jr. and Lorna Silverio, talked with SMC President and CEO Ramon S. Ang and sought the corporation's support for the Bataan-Cavite Mega Dike project as well as the expansion of their dredging project.   

Upon the request of Governor Fernando, SMC expanded the program to other tributaries outside of the Marilao, Meycauayan Obando River Systems (MMORS). 

Ang said it’s not too late to solve Bulacan’s perennial flooding because they have a solution, and that's extensive cleanup of polluted river systems and waterways in and around the province.
 
He vowed that SMC will implement the activity using its own resources at no cost to the government and the people of Bulacan. 

Ang said he also made this commitment to Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga in a recent meeting, where he presented the status of SMC's massive river cleanup initiatives in the Pasig River, Tullahan River, and the San Juan River.  

Ang mentioned that the company has already spent some P3 billion to desilt and remove solid wastes from the polluted waterways.

He also outlined plans to fully shift its river rehabilitation efforts to Bulacan in the coming months.  

Ang, at the same time, brushed off allegations that the corporation's airport project is the cause of flooding in the province, pointing out that flooding had already been a major problem long before the government approved the airport’s construction in the province.

“There are many contributing factors to flooding. Bulacan has many low-lying areas. Another is land subsidence caused by over extraction and the depletion of groundwater. In fact, that is one of the reasons why we invested in putting up the Bulacan Bulk Water System Project some years back — to provide potable water to residents without having to resort to unsustainable use of groundwater,” Ang explained.  

“Degradation, siltation, and pollution of our rivers are of course major causes of flooding. Because of these, rivers become shallow and their flood-carrying capacity is severely diminished, resulting in river overflow and floods," he said.

SMC has already started cleaning up rivers around the airport project site as part of the overall design and long-term maintenance of the country’s largest international gateway. These flood mitigation efforts are seen to also benefit the towns near the airport.  

"We have deeply invested in the future as well as the well-being of Bulacan and its residents. We would not pour in billions in resources if we didn’t consider all possible risks, including flooding in the province. 

"As with any major undertaking of this magnitude, extensive studies were done even before construction started. And even now, we continue to work with experts and to consistently ensure we adhere to the highest environmental and social standards and regulations,” Ang said.