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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Villanueva calls for 'whole-of-government approach' to address worsening floods

Villanueva calls for 'whole-of-government approach' to address worsening floods

Published Jul 22, 2025 04:33 pm

At A Glance

  • Senator Joel Villanueva called for a whole-of-government approach and long-term, integrated solutions to the country's worsening floods, citing poor waste management and the need for stronger inter-agency coordination.
As massive floods continue to inundate parts of the country, Senator Joel Villanueva on Tuesday, July 22, urged the national government to adopt a “whole-of-government approach” and craft long-term solutions to the country’s worsening flood problem.
Vehicles navigate floodwaters along the service road of Roxas Boulevard on July 19, 2025, following heavy rains brought by the southwest monsoon or habagat, intensified by 'Crising'. (MARK BALMORES / MANILA BULLETIN)
Vehicles navigate floodwaters along the service road of Roxas Boulevard on July 19, 2025, following heavy rains brought by the southwest monsoon or habagat, intensified by 'Crising'. (MARK BALMORES / MANILA BULLETIN)
“Nakakalungkot po na taon-taon na lang ay palala nang palala ang problema natin sa baha, bagama’t halos taon-taon ring palaki nang palaki ang ginagastos ng gobyerno para masolusyunan ito (It’s heartbreaking that year after year, our flooding situation is getting worse, even as the government spends more each year to solve it),” the senator said in a statement.
“We don’t need patchwork projects but long-term solutions to the ever-worsening floods in many areas of the country (Hindi po patse-patseng proyekto kundi pang-matagalang solusyon ang kailangan sa patuloy na lumalalang pagbaha sa maraming lugar sa bansa),” he said.
Villanueva cited his home province of Bulacan, where knee-deep flooding has become a regular occurrence every rainy season. He called on authorities to scrutinize the implementation of flood control programs, particularly the effectiveness of recommendations from multi-million-peso feasibility studies funded annually.
“Perhaps it’s time to examine whether the designs of these projects are appropriate and if the recommendations of these costly studies are actually being implemented (Marahil dapat pong tingnan kung akma at ginagawa talaga ang mga rekomendasyon ng milyon-milyong nagkakahalagang feasibility studies na taon-taon ring pinopondohan ng gobyerno at kung epektibo rin ba ang disenyo ng mga ipinapatupad na proyekto),” he added.
The senator also underscored the critical role of waste management in flood mitigation, noting that the volume of trash clogging waterways significantly exacerbates the problem.
To address the crisis, he called for stronger inter-agency coordination among the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
“Para sa isang whole-of-government approach sa pagbibigay solusyon sa lumalalang sitwasyon ng baha sa bansa (For a whole-of-government approach urgently needed to deliver effective solutions to the worsening flooding situation in the country,” he said.

Related Tags

Joel Villanueva SOUTHWEST MONSOON HABAGAT Flood Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) MMDA
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