President Marcos brushed aside questions about alliances and the 2028 elections during his inspection of flood control works in Naga City, saying his visit is “serbisyo muna bago politika” (service first before politics).

Marcos said this as he led the inspection of the ongoing operations under Oplan Kontra Baha, the national government’s flood mitigation initiative, at Sagop Creek in Barangay Triangulo on Saturday, Feb. 21.

Asked in a media interview if he was open to forging alliances with Naga City Mayor and former vice president Leni Robredo, Marcos said there was no talk of politics between the former election rivals.

“Alam mo, hindi namin pinag-uusapan yun… serbisyo muna bago politika (You know, we are not discussing that… service first before politics),” he said.

“The most political thing that we did today, I wore my pink socks in honor of Mayor Leni [Robredo],” he quipped, drawing laughter, as he gestured to his pink socks.

Marcos stressed that his visit to Naga was not politically motivated and had been planned months in advance due to the worsening floods in the Bicol region.

“We have been planning this for a few months already,” he said, noting that he had instructed Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon and Special Assistant to the President Anton Lagdameo to assess the situation.

President Marcos’ statement came after Vice President Sara Duterte announced this week that she will run for president in the 2028 elections.

“Nothing really. That’s her choice,” he said when asked about his thoughts on the Vice President’s announcement.

The President described the ongoing desiltation of Sagop Creek and other waterways as just the start of a broader flood mitigation plan for Naga and the Bicol River Basin.

“Ito, desiltation lamang ito at hindi naman ito kagaya ng mga ginagawa natin sa ibang lugar, this is not going to be one-time (This is just desiltation, and, unlike in other places, this is not going to be one-time),” he said.

“We will keep doing this until we have a more long-term solution,” he added.

Marcos said the government is studying the construction of retention ponds and upstream water collection systems to prevent floodwaters from rushing into the basin.

“Ang plano na talaga na puwede natin gawin, na kailangan natin gawin ay kailangan natin mahuli… yung tubig bago pa bumaba sa basin (The plan that we really can and must do is to catch the water before it flows down to the basin),” he said.

Citing Mayor Robredo, President Marcos noted that Naga and much of Camarines Sur are landlocked, causing floodwaters to recede slowly.

“And because it is a landlocked province, ang tagal lumabas ng tubig. So, huwag na natin sana papasukin (And because it is a landlocked province, it takes a long time for the water to drain. So hopefully, we won’t let it in),” he added.

Marcos pointed to changing rainfall patterns and climate change as major factors behind the worsening floods.

“The immediate problem that we saw, the change in pattern that we saw, is ‘yung bigat ng bagsak ng ulan (the heaviness of the rainfall),” he said.

Mayor Robredo said the city recorded 700 millimeters of rain in a single day, which she noted was worse than the rainfall from past typhoons Ondoy and Yolanda.

“That’s very significant. And that’s why it became critical,’ Marcos said.

The President assured local government units that national government support would depend on need, not political affiliation.

“Whoever comes to us for help, we will do what we can to help,” he said.

“There is not an increase, there is not a decrease. It's not political. It's only because it depends on the need, and that's why we are here today,” he added.

Marcos said the flood issue in Naga was partly identified during an earlier inspection of the Maharlika Highway rehabilitation project, where local officials raised concerns about worsening inundation.

The President vowed to return to inspect the progress of the flood mitigation works as part of the administration’s broader Oplan Kontra Baha initiative.