President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to finish declogging the rivers and waterways of Metro Manila before the wet season in 2026, its chief, Vince Dizon, said on Wednesday.
Dizon said this is part of the goal of Marcos’ ‘Oplan Kontra Baha’ (Operation Plan to Counter Flooding), which mandates the cleaning of drainages, canals, and rivers all across the country to eliminate preventable flooding.
‘We really should clear all of this before the rainy season next year so that the flooding in Metro Manila can be alleviated at least,’ Dizon said in Filipino during a radio dzMM interview.
Pressed on Marcos’ timeline, Dizon said, ‘He said that everything needs to be cleaned up before the rainy season in 2026, so that’s the timeline he gave.’
‘I think next year, it [the efforts] will already provide relief-even if we could not completely eliminate the floods, at least if they do occur, they will subside quickly,’ he also said.
Dizon said the DPWH is working with the Metro Manila Development Authority and local chief executives in the capital region to realize this timeline.
Part of Marcos’ operation plan is to relocate informal settlers residing in the waterways with the help of the National Housing Authority.
Dizon has since inspected waterways in San Juan City and Las Piñas City as part of this operation.
Aside from Metro Manila, this operation is also being done in Metro Cebu and Bacolod City in Visayas.
‘It’s the first time this has been done on this scale,’ Dizon said. /das/abc