The Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev) is considering crafting a river basin master plan by next year, Senate Finance Committee chairman Sherwin Gatchalian said on Monday, November 17.

Gatchalian, who sponsored the budget of the DEPDev during the deliberations on the proposed 2026 national budget, disclosed this when Sen. Risa Hontiveros inquired of the the agency’s plans to address the damages to infrastructure brought about by massive flooding.

Hontiveros was looking into the possibility of the DEPDev  studying whether to allow rivers to flow instead of blocking, constricting it or increasing the water retention capacities of upstream swamps to address flooding especially during typhoons.

Gatchalian, the agency’s budget sponsor, affirmed this saying DEPDev is mulling coming up with the master plan by next year.

“Doon po sa (With regards to the) river basin master plan, yan po ang plano ng DepDev this coming new year na talaga hong maglabas na ng mga master plans (that is the plan of the DepDev this coming New Year and that is to release new master plans),” Gatchalian said during the Senate's deliberation into the national budget.

“Sila na ho ang mag spearhead per river basin so that itong master plan po ang susundan insofar as flood control projects are concerned (They will spearhead per river basin so that this master plan will be followed, insofar as flood control projects are concerned),” he said.

While it would be huge endeavor, Gatchalian is positive this can be done again.

“Malaking endeavor ho yan pero I believe na umpisahan na yan in the past administrations kailangan lang po ma-update (That’s a big endeavor, but I believe that it was started in the past administrations, it just needs to be updated),” he said.

“So yung po yung isa sa mga malaking aktibidad nila (So that is one of their biggest activity) this coming new year),” the Senate finance chief said.

However, when Hontiveros asked if DEPDev is considering imposing a mandatory insurance coverage against flood risks, Gatchalian said the agency has no such project yet.

“In so far as the insurance po, wala hong ganoon project po ang DEPDev (DEPDev has no such project. But I think DepDev can look into that. They can look into how we can inject an insurance coverage there in flood prone areas or areas affected by climate change,” the lawmaker said.

Nevertheless, Gatchalian said he believes that Secretary Arsenio Balisacan will be able to conduct a thorough review of all infrastructure that can be covered by insurance, particularly school buildings that are usually the most affected during disasters.

“And I hope that as far as their New Year’s plan of the DEPDev is to really champion river basin master plans, I presume and I hope that they will work on this together with the DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) that has long been pushing for nature-based solutions and master plans to, if not completely prevent, at least mitigate, the effects of, ill-effects of natural disasters,” Hontiveros said.

Gatchalian agreed, saying the devastation wrought by super typhoons Tino and Uwan, especially in Cebu, serves as a  “wake up call” for the government.

“Secretary Balisacan told me that part of the charter of the DEPDev is master planning. So it's actually been put into law that it's their mandate now, to assist the various agencies or spearhead when it comes to master plans,” he assured.