Article by:
Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos
MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Saturday assured the public that his administration is working on long-term solutions to address flooding in the country.
Marcos inspected ongoing operations under Oplan Kontra Baha (Against Flooding), the national government’s flood mitigation initiative, at Sagop Creek in Naga City’s Triangulo village.
He also inspected Concepcion Pequeña village.
“This is only the beginning. Ito, desiltation lamang ito. Kagaya ng mga ginagawa natin sa ibang lugar (This is just desiltation. Like what we are doing elsewhere), this is not going to be one time,” he told reporters after the inspection.
“We will keep doing this until we have the more long-term solutions at hopefully on the road, if we design everything properly, hindi na natin kailangan paulit-ulit na binabalik-balikan (we won’t have to go back and forth over and over again),” Marcos added.
Led by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Oplan Kontra Baha aims to reduce flooding through rapid on-the-ground interventions.
Flood mitigation measures include declogging of canals, removal of illegal obstructions along waterways, river dredging, rehabilitation of pumping stations, maintenance of flood-control structures, and mobilization of equipment and personnel in flood-prone areas.
Marcos acknowledged that much more remains to be done, considering the effects of climate change that trigger unpredictable flooding.
“This is what we are trying to remedy. Malaking trabaho ito (It’s a big job). It will take time but marami na tayo mga intervention na pwedeng gawin (b)ut we have many interventions that we can do), such as the pools that we are going to put up,” he said.
Naga City was selected as a pilot area for Oplan Kontra Baha due to its high susceptibility to flooding within the Bicol River Basin, highlighting the need for focused and sustained flood-mitigation efforts.
The program focuses on the town’s 10-kilometer Sagop Creek, a major waterway closely monitored by the local government.
The creek’s channel passes through five villages that are highly vulnerable to flooding, particularly Del Rosario, Concepcion Grande, Concepcion Pequeña, Triangulo and Tabuco.
As of Friday, initial clearing and desilting operations in Naga City have resulted in the removal of 2,350 cubic meters of silt, vegetation and solid waste from priority waterways, including Sagop Creek, sections in Barangay Concepcion Pequeña, the Bicol River (Esplanade section), and Milaor Creek along Maharlika Highway.
The ongoing operations are part of immediate measures to restore hydraulic capacity in flood-prone areas.
Apart from the cleanup operation in Naga City, the DPWH has led similar initiatives in Metro Manila, Cebu and Bacolod. Similar efforts will be scheduled in Laguna, Iloilo City and Cagayan de Oro. (PNA)
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