Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte (left), President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. (Facebook)

Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte has hailed President Marcos recent directive for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to implement soon the updated Bicol River Basin (BRB) Master Plan to address the perennial flooding in Bicol.

President Marcos gave his latest order to the DPWH to carry out this revitalized master plan during the recent meeting of the Regional Development Council (RDC) of Region V at Camarines Sur's capital of Pili, on the same day that he led a campaign sortie there for his Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas senatorial slate that drew a  80,000 people.

Villafuerte said this presidential directive followed Marcos’ instruction to DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan to revisit this BRB master plan, during his two visits to the province last November after Typhoon "Kristine" hit. 

“We thank the President for putting in motion this revitalized plan to, among others, put an end to our perennial flooding,” Villafuerte said in a statement.

“Given the President’s directive, the mitigation of the chronic flooding of CamSur and the rest of the region appears clearly in sight,” added Villafuerte, president of the National Unity Party (NUP).

Villafuerte was referring to the BRB Development Program (BRBDP), the revival of which he had proposed to the past administration. Now it has gained the support of the incumbent President.

But pending the full implementation of this BRB master plan, Villafuerte asked the DPWH during the RDC meeting to dredge the BRB’s low-lying areas, notably the Libmanan-Cabusao and the Nabua-Bato-Baao Lake.

Villafuerte said that dredging these shallow tributaries presents the immediate and feasible solution to check severe flooding in the near future, as the DPWH works on the full implementation of this BRB master plan.

During the RDC meeting in Pili, President Marcos said, “I already instructed  the Public Works (DPWH) to come up with a master plan which is appropriate for now. There is no other way to address the flooding problem except to manage the water flowing into the Bicol Region River Basin.”

“At least we have a plan now. We have to implement it properly because the old master plan was not rigorously implemented so we have the same problem,” said the President who stressed that the country needs to adjust because the weather will become more severe with climate change.