Marikina City Mayor Marjorie Ann “Maan” Teodoro, together with First District Rep. Marcy Teodoro, highlighted the city’s continuing efforts to strengthen flood mitigation measures during the inspection visit of Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon at the Pasig-Marikina River Channel Improvement Project on Wednesday, March 4.

During the inspection, the Teodoros presented Marikina’s integrated flood control initiatives.

The mayor said that the visit was vital to strengthening the local government’s relations with the national government, especially in completing multi-sectoral infrastructure projects within the city, not just for the benefit of Marikeños but for all in Metro Manila.

“Magandang development ito para sa Marikina kasi talagang nakikita natin yung immediate response ng national government. Gusto nila at gusto din natin na pagdating ng tag-ulan, hindi na problema sa mga taga-Marikina. Maging panatag na po tayo (This is a positive development for Marikina because we are clearly seeing the immediate response of the national government. They want, and we also want, that when the rainy season arrives, flooding will no longer be a problem for Marikina residents. Let us remain assured),” she said.

Rep. Teodoro explained one of the city’s initiatives, the ongoing dredging of the Marikina River, saying it is part of a broader strategy to increase the river’s capacity and improve water flow, helping to reduce flood risks in the city.

“Ang lalim ng Marikina River ngayon ay nasa 23 meters, pero other areas nasa 20-21 meters (The depth of the Marikina River is currently around 23 meters, while other areas are measured at 20 to 21 meters). We’re still dredging it—not only to deepen it but also to widen it.

He stressed that beyond deepening the river, the project is designed to ensure that water flows faster during periods of heavy rainfall.

“Nilalaparan at nilalaliman para ‘yung water velocity ay mas bumilis, likewise, to increase the water-carrying capacity (The river is being widened and deepened to increase water velocity and, likewise, to increase its water-carrying capacity),” he said.

He also underscored the importance of coordination between the local government and the Wawa Dam Authority in managing water releases to prevent sudden surges in the Marikina River.

“‘Yung Wawa Dam Authority at LGU Marikina, even in the absence of a formal agreement, nagko-coordinate ngayon para sa release nung mga tubig para habang hindi pa mataas ang tubig sa Marikina River o habang wala pang malakas na pagbagyo (The Wawa Dam Authority and the Marikina LGU are coordinating even without a formal agreement to manage the release of water, so that the Marikina River levels remain low and before any strong storms arrive),” he said.

“So mayroon siyang release ng tubig na paunti-unti with coordination with the local government unit to determine the proper water level (So they are releasing water gradually, in coordination with the local government unit, to maintain the proper water level)," Teodoro added.

The lawmaker stated that flood mitigation efforts in the city rely on a whole-of-government approach, integrating projects of both national and local agencies.

“Secondly, may whole-of-government approach na kung saan ‘yung project ng local at national, kino-coordinate natin para integrated—mag-dugtong-dugtong (Secondly, there is a whole-of-government approach, where we coordinate local and national projects so that they are integrated and connected),” he explained.

For the city's drainage strategy, Teodoro said it begins with the construction of outfall drainage systems, which ensure that water from communities flows efficiently toward the river.

He added that Marikina’s drainage systems are designed to connect directly to the river, allowing runoff water to exit quickly.

“‘Pag nakita ‘yung surface runoff water ng Marikina at ‘yung drainage system; lahat ng drainage system natin perpendicular to the Marikina River so may nilalabasan (When we look at the surface runoff water in Marikina and the drainage system, all of our drainage systems are built perpendicular to the Marikina River so the water has a proper outlet),” he explained.

Teodoro said that the integrated flood control strategy has helped protect the city from major flooding in recent years, saying, “Kaya nakita natin sa tatlong taong nakalipas, hindi binaha ang Marikina hindi katulad sa iba dahil may integrated flood control mapping tayo (That is why, over the past three years, Marikina has not experienced flooding like other areas, because we have an integrated flood control mapping)."

Meanwhile, the mayor expressed her gratitude to Sec. Dizon and hopes that the inspections will help solve the remaining gaps in some flood-control projects within the city, citing the Marikina River rehabilitation project and the drainage works along Sumulong Highway, as well as accelerate their development.

“Talagang lahat ng sinabi niya at sinabi din namin na kailangan i-inspeksyon ay napuntahan. At nangako po siya na gagawin natin o gagawin po ng national government ang lahat ng makakaya para bago magtag-ulan, mabawasan ang ating alalahanin (Everything he mentioned, and everything we said needed to be inspected, was visited. He also promised that we, together with the national government, will do everything possible to reduce our concerns before the rainy season arrives),” she said.

For his part, Dizon said he invited the Teodoros and other city officials for them to show the best practices in Marikina, as the city has endured a lot of experiences in dealing with flooding due to typhoons that struck Marikina.

“Kailangan mage-stablish tayo ng no build zones. Tapos magtatayo tayo ng retention basins, yung pupuntahan ng tubig, sasalo ng tubig. Magtatayo tayo ng park. Iyon ang importante (We need to establish no-build zones. We will also construct retention basins to collect and hold water. We plan to build a park as well. That is what is important). Marikina has shown us that it is possible,” Dizon said.

“In fact, inimbita ko nga si Mayor at si Engineer para mapakitaan ang mga LGU ng best practice kasi natuto na ang Marikina from experience (In fact, I invited the Mayor and the Engineer to show the LGUs the best practices, because Marikina has learned from experience,” he said.

As the city fully cooperates with the DPWH and other affiliated parties in completing its current flood control and mitigation projects, the mayor reiterated that Marikina is always ready when flooding occurs within the city.

“Of course, we will always be ready. Ang pamantayan natin ay yung lakas ng Ondoy lagi (We always use the strength of Ondoy as our benchmark). Every year, that is our preparation,” she said.