Officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), convened on Thursday, March 13, to discuss large-scale flood control initiatives aimed at mitigating disaster risks in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
Led by DPWH Unified Project Management Office – Flood Control Management Cluster (UPMO-FCMC) Project Director Ramon A. Arriola III and ADB Principal Water Resources Specialist Eric Quincieu, the consultation focused on financing, implementation strategies, and project alignment with government priorities.
The discussion highlighted two major initiatives: the Integrated Flood Resilience and Adaptation 2 (InFRA 2) Project, which targets critical river basins; and the Central Luzon-Pampanga River Floodway Project, which is designed to strengthen flood protection in Pampanga and Bulacan.
Under the InFRA 2 Project, flood risk management systems will be developed for the Apayao-Abulug River Basin in Apayao and Cagayan, the Jalaur River Basin in Iloilo, and the Buayan-Malungon River Basin in Sarangani and South Cotabato.
The initiative will integrate structural defenses and nature-based solutions to enhance community resilience.
Meanwhile, the Central Luzon-Pampanga River Floodway Project, now in the final stage of contract preparations, will establish a 100-year floodway channel utilizing the San Antonio Swamp as a retention pond to regulate excess water flow.
The project aims to mitigate disaster risks for approximately 356,000 residents in Pampanga and Bulacan.
Arriola said the ADB mission reinforces DPWH’s commitment to fast-tracking critical flood control projects in line with President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s directive to DPWH Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan to accelerate nationwide flood mitigation efforts.
Key officials from DPWH regional offices, along with representatives from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSa), participated in the consultation.
DPWH emphasized the importance of collaboration with agencies such as PAGASA, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), and the Department of Energy (DOE) to ensure the effective implementation of these projects.