ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Metro Manila devider Zamora calls for whole-of-nation approach to solve Metro flooding

Zamora calls for whole-of-nation approach to solve Metro flooding

Published Aug 26, 2025 09:58 am
San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora (wearing red) and MMDA Chairman Don Artes monitor the river cleaning and dredging operations being conducted in San Juan River.
San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora (wearing red) and MMDA Chairman Don Artes monitor the river cleaning and dredging operations being conducted in San Juan River.

San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora has called for a whole-of-nation approach to solve the perennial problem of flooding in the country, saying that the construction and proper operation of flood control projects are not enough in curbing it.

In a radio interview, Zamora, also the president of the Metro Manila Council (MMC), called on the public to also do their part in preventing the crisis from worsening further.

He tackled San Juan City's flood control efforts and other initiatives and emphasized the need for coordination and cooperation between the local government units (LGUs) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), which spearhead the projects.

"Dito sa lungsod ng san juan mayroon tayong 13 flood control projects since 2022 at lahat naman ito ay dumaan sa koordinasyon with the LGU. Iyan ay mahalaga dahil kung hindi nakikipag-ugnayan ang DPWH sa mga LGUs natin, kung walang coordination at all, paano nila malalaman kung saan ba namin kailangan ng pumping station? Aling barangay ba sa aming lungsod ang pinakabinabaha na dapat mag-improve ng drainage system? Anong mga creek namin ang dapat lagyan ng slope protection? Kaming mga LGUs ang nakakaalam nyan (Here in the city of San Juan, we have 13 flood control projects since 2022 and all of them have gone through coordination with the LGU. That is important because if the DPWH does not communicate with the LGUs, if there is no coordination at all, how will they know where we need a pumping station? Which barangays in our city are the most flooded and need to improve the drainage system? Which of our creeks should be equipped with slope protection? We, the LGUs, know that)," the mayor said.

"With proper coordination, we can determine kung ano bang mga lugar yung mas nangangailangan, anong klaseng problema ba ang dapat solusyunan, at pinakamahalaga, natututukan namin yung mga proyektong ginagawa nila (With proper coordination, we can determine which areas are most in need, what kind of problems need to be solved, and most importantly, we can monitor the projects they are working on)," he added.

Zamora urged the people to also help in solving the flooding situation starting with the proper disposal of their trash and refraining from dirtying the city's waterways.

"It does not mean also na pag kumpleto ang flood control projects ay wala pong mararanasang baha dahil may iba pang mga dahilan ang pagbabaha. Isa na ang basura, pangalawa kinakailangan ng dredging ng ating mga ilog at creek kasi yung dating lalim ho nyan eh wala na eh. Bumababaw na sya dahil sa naiipong basura at burak (It does not mean also that when the flood control projects are completed, there will be no more flooding because there are other reasons for this. One is garbage; secondly, the need for dredging of our rivers and creeks because what used to be its depth is no longer there. Our waterways can no longer hold more water because of the accumulated garbage and sludge)," he explained.

On Aug. 20, the city government and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) led the launch of the “Bayanihan sa Estero Program” at Lambingan Bridge in San Juan City which aims to mitigate flooding and promote environmental sustainability in San Juan River.

The program is part of the city government’s request for waterways clearing and cleanup, aligned with the MMDA’s continuing efforts to strengthen flood control measures in Metro Manila.

The simultaneous cleanup and dredging operation deployed MMDA dredging equipment, garbage collection trucks, and manpower, in partnership with civil society organizations.

Aside from flood mitigation, the local government added that the operation also aims to restore the natural flow of waterways.

Related Tags

Dredging waste management flooding flood control projects san juan city francis zamora dpwh mmda coordination metro news
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.