Capitol pushes quick flood fixes

CEBU, Philippines — Acknowledging that the proposed reservoir dams intended to mitigate flooding in Cebu may take another five to seven years to complete, the Cebu Provincial Government has begun rolling out immediate and practical measures to address persistent flooding across Metro Cebu while pursuing long-term infrastructure projects.

To jump-start these efforts, the provincial government convened the Metro Cebu Flood Control and Drainage System Implementation Task Force on Wednesday, bringing together provincial officials, national government agencies, and technical planners to identify interventions that can be implemented in the coming weeks and months instead of waiting for major infrastructure projects to materialize.

Governor Pamela Baricuatro, who chairs the task force, said the worsening flood situation demands coordinated and decisive action from all levels of government.

"We cannot simply stand by. We need to take decisive action. Protecting our constituents, our homes, and our economy from climate-induced hazards is our primary responsibility," Baricuatro said during the meeting.

The task force was created through Executive Order No. 74, signed by the governor on November 18, 2025, to oversee the implementation of flood control and drainage initiatives across Metro Cebu.

The executive order cited increasingly severe flooding brought about by stronger typhoons and climate-related hazards, underscoring the need for an integrated approach involving national agencies, local government units (LGUs), and other stakeholders.

Provincial Planning and Development Office Executive Assistant V Elizar Sabinay Jr. said the task force's role extends beyond planning to ensuring the actual implementation of flood control initiatives.

"The role of the task force is not just to come up with a plan, but the role as they're identified is really the implementation of the Drainage and Flood Control," Sabinay said.

According to Sabinay, the task force agreed to prepare an implementation timeline covering immediate, short-term, and long-term interventions.

"We're looking at on a timeline of immediate, it can be done in weeks or months. Short term, three months to six months, to long term," he said.

While the province continues to push for the construction of reservoir dams, Sabinay said the projects are still expected to take five to seven years once funding is secured.

"We're still pushing for the dam which requires five to seven years for it to be constructed once the budget is through," Sabinay said.

In the meantime, one of the province's priorities is securing funding for these long-term projects.

"So part of the immediate to medium term is really making sure the budget is approved. Once the budget is approved, that's the win of the immediate to short term," he added.

The task force also agreed to adopt a cluster-based implementation strategy in line with the Metro Cebu Flood Control and Drainage Master Plan.

Under the arrangement, Metro Cebu will be divided into northern, southern, and central clusters, with the central cluster covering Cebu City, Mactan, and Cordova.

Each cluster will establish its own drainage and flood control task force, allowing LGUs to identify projects that can be funded through barangay, municipal, city, provincial, or national government resources.

Sabinay encouraged barangays and LGUs to pursue simple but effective interventions that can immediately help reduce flooding.

"Take for example, instead of making your parking lot concrete, magbutang lang tag bato diha. It absorbs water, rather than making it concrete, the water will just run and go to another area. And it will just overflow," he explained.

The identified projects will first be submitted to their respective clusters before being elevated to the provincial task force for consolidation and implementation.

Sabinay also said the task force agreed to revive the Mega Cebu approach to strengthen inter-LGU coordination, emphasizing that flooding transcends political boundaries.

"Flooding really requires cooperation from other local government units because flooding doesn't respect political boundaries," he said.

The task force likewise expanded its coverage to include Toledo City, Asturias, and Balamban because of their connection to the Mananga River watershed, which affects downstream flooding.

Long-term projects

Among the flood mitigation measures identified under the master plan are revetment works, diversion channels, drainage mains, lateral drainage improvements, flow control systems, retention basins, lagoons, recharge areas, infiltration beds, rainwater harvesting systems, and reservoir dams.

The national government has earlier committed at least P8 billion for the construction of dams along Cebu's major river systems to slow floodwaters during periods of heavy rainfall.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Central Visayas has identified seven proposed reservoir sites covering the Mananga, Bulacao, Guadalupe, Butuanon, Lusaran, Cotcot in Liloan, and Danao river systems as part of Cebu's long-term flood control and water security strategy.

Separately, the DPWH Region 7 recently convened a technical coordination meeting under Oplan Kontra Baha, bringing together the Cebu Provincial Government, LGUs, and partner national agencies to accelerate flood mitigation projects across Central Visayas.

The meeting was attended by DPWH Undersecretary for Special Concerns Charles T. Calima, Regional Director Engr. Simon Arias, Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival, and other officials.

Archival stressed the need for a watershed-to-coast approach and an inter-city drainage and flood control master plan, citing clogged waterways, improper waste disposal, encroachment on river easements, silted rivers, and rapid upland development as major causes of flooding.

"We emphasized Cebu City's assessment of the major causes of flooding, including clogged waterways, improper waste disposal, encroachment on river easements, silted rivers and drainage systems, and rapid upland development," Archival said.

He said the city would continue coordinating with national agencies and neighboring LGUs to strengthen flood mitigation efforts.

"Padayon ta sa pagtinabangay uban sa atong national government agencies ug neighboring LGUs aron mapalig-on ang flood mitigation efforts pinaagi sa environmental protection, responsible solid waste management, watershed rehabilitation, ug sustainable infrastructure alang sa mas luwas ug mas lig-on nga Cebu City."

The renewed urgency follows another flooding incident in Cebu City, particularly along the Tisa-Labangon corridor, where residents experienced heavy inundation earlier this week.

Archival personally inspected affected waterways and convened a meeting with the Department of Engineering and Public Works, City Planning and Development Office, Office of the Building Official, and barangay officials to map out immediate and long-term interventions.

"Among the priority actions are the evaluation of flood mitigation and drainage plans, site validation, and the identification of sustainable flood control measures," Archival explained.

He said immediate measures such as declogging, dredging, and desilting rivers and drainage systems are already underway while long-term structural solutions are being developed.

"Ang atong tumong mao ang dili lamang pag-atubang sa problema karon, apan ang paghimo og sustainable solutions aron mas mapanalipdan ang atong mga komunidad sa umaabot," he said.

DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon earlier announced that he would return to Cebu to personally inspect flood-hit areas, saying the province may require the same scale of drainage modernization now being implemented in Metro Manila.

Officials noted that undersized culverts, clogged waterways, and inadequate detention basins remain recurring problems that require immediate attention.

As Cebu braces for more rains in the coming weeks, Archival reiterated that flood mitigation is a shared responsibility.

"Responsibilidad gyud nato ning tanan," he said, urging communities to cooperate in proper waste disposal and drainage maintenance. — Caecent Noot Magsumbol/FPL (FREEMAN)