Cebu City flood control projects under review

CEBU, Philippines — The ?757-million flood control projects in Cebu City for 2025, spearheaded by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), are currently on hold pending a comprehensive assessment by Mayor Nestor Archival.

As of August 2025, Archival reported that the DPWH has rolled out 10 projects in the North District amounting to ?272 million, and 11 in the South District valued at ?479 million.

Despite these developments, the mayor emphasized that he has yet to conduct a full review of all 21 projects.

He, however, stressed that he has yet to review the status of these 21 projects as he will have to sit down with the DPWH in order to assess each project with them.

“We need to check gyud kay naa rabay uban nga maigo jud ang atong main thoroughfares, unya mag problema nasad tag samot sa tong traffics,” said Archival.

Archival initially flagged several flood control projects in Cebu City for lacking proper coordination with the local government, resulting in public inconvenience.

One such project in Banilad drew criticism from the mayor, who directly told the contractor that their operations were contributing to worsening traffic congestion in the area.

Another project near JY Square was executed with urgency but has since been suspended due to the absence of prior coordination with city authorities.

Similarly, a separate undertaking near Beverly Hills is under scrutiny for its potential to disrupt traffic flow, prompting calls for reassessment before proceeding.

“The new ones, akong gihangyo nga hunong lang una ta. Ato lang klaruhon gyud og unsa ang atong deadlines, the most important thing is the deadlines because I want them to work for 24 hours,” said Archival.

The new projects, he added, are those implemented this year.

Archival announced plans to enforce stricter guidelines for the DPWH moving forward. These include adherence to project timelines, deployment of traffic enforcers, installation of appropriate warning devices, assignment of personnel to clean up construction debris, and the public posting of project details.

He stressed that no future DPWH projects should proceed without prior coordination with the city government.

While awaiting the finalization of these new protocols, Archival confirmed that all 2025 flood control projects remain on hold. He noted that this pause is necessary, given that the city currently has no authority over the contractors assigned by the DPWH.

In addition to national projects, Archival said he will also review locally funded initiatives under the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW). He emphasized the need for seamless coordination between both agencies to avoid duplication and inefficiencies.

At present, Archival revealed that there are three separate plans for the city’s Drainage Master Plan: one from the DEPW, another from a private consultant, and a third from archived documents dating back to 2006. He asserted that it is time to consolidate these plans into a unified strategy to ensure effective implementation.

“We need to have one plan..basically dapat coordinated tanan, sync,” said Archival.

2025 flood control project contractors

According to data from the DPWH, Cebu City's flood control initiatives for both the North and South Districts encompass a wide range of project types. These include bridge construction, drainage systems, revetment works, slope protection, road reblocking, and infrastructure rehabilitation, among others.

Each project has been awarded to individual contractors, although some firms have secured multiple assignments across different sites.

As indicated in the list, four different projects were awarded to WTG Construction & Development Corp., four to BNR Construction & Development Corporation, another four projects to Power Frame Construction & Development Corp., and four other projects to Gowil Builders.

Aside from these, two projects were awarded to AVC Construction Services, two others to Kyle Construction Services, while another contractor has been identified as Matroson Builders & Engineering Services.

It can also be noted that four projects were awarded to Adamant Development Corp. / QM Builders, and four others to Carcel Construction & Development Corp.

Helm Construction and Supplies was also awarded three projects, while BNR Const. & Devt. Corp./Tria Const. & Dev. and Quirante Const. Corp. were awarded two projects each. Planac Construction was also awarded three projects, while Ven Ray Construction Corporation got two, VSP Structure Ventures Corp. with four projects, and Corro Const. Development and Trade Corporation with two projects.

Developer commits flood control mitigation

Also yesterday, the chief strategic officer of a firm that develops a high-end residential project in Cebu, Engineer Slater Young, met Archival at City Hall to reaffirm their commitment to improving the drainage system and widening roads as part of their corporate social responsibility as developers.

Young said that during his meeting with the mayor, he presented one of their commitments, which is to build a six-meter road at Quejada Drive, pave and widen it, as well as improve its drainage system as part of their long-term plan.

“Nindot pud ni kay hands on atong mayor, and we could in the same language kay engineer pud sya,” said Young. He reiterated that Archival wanted them to enact plans in the next weeks for flood mitigation aside from the long-term solutions that they outlined.

It can be remembered that the chairman of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council, Councilor Dave Tumulak, mentioned the developer that Young represents as among the contributors to flooding.

Young, on the other hand, invites the public to look at their plans and their compliance with the mandated policies. According to him, they have 19 detention ponds that serve as rainwater catchments.

“If you notice that there is no flood in the Guadalupe area…we feel like we have already done enough, our efficiency is 50 percent.. meaning there are a lot more open spaces, there's a lot more greenery,” said Young.

He also expressed confidence in their compliance, stressing that they are willing to improve should there be areas they are asked to address. — (FREEMAN)