A PARTY-list lawmaker has underscored the need for “evidence –based planning” by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to achieve concrete solution to the perennial flood problems.
FPJ Panday Bayanihan party-list Rep. Brian Poe raised this observation during the House of Representatives’ hearing on the proposed 2026 budget for the DPWH.
Poe, vice chairman of the House appropriations committee, cited the research titled “Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards” also known as Project NOAH, study which features flood risk maps, hydrological analyses, and river basin data collated over the past five years.
Poe said NOAH could help identify which areas are most vulnerable and what types of interventions are most effective.
“Our goal is not just to highlight problems, but to contribute solutions. That’s why we are suggesting NOAH that the DPWH could use for a more efficient planning of projects that must be science-based,” the lawmaker said.
DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon welcomed Poe’s recommendation, acknowledging that many flood control projects in the past were awarded without proper technical studies.
“It is only now that I saw (infrastructure) projects that are being awarded even without any plan,” Dizon said in Filipino.
Poe also noted that the DPWH has unobligated funds of ₱392.3 billion for 2025 and ₱56.7 billion from 2024 that must be maximized for effective, long-term solutions.
“Hindi na puwede yung copy-paste na flood control projects na hindi umaakma sa realidad (We can no longer rely on copy=pasted flood control projects that do not conform with realities),” he said, adverting to previous instances where embankments and dikes were ineffective due to poor design.
Poe’s recommendation highlighted how scientific data, combined with close legislative monitoring, could prevent waste and ensure that infrastructure projects genuinely protect lives and property.
“Ultimately, what matters is that communities don’t get flooded again and again because of flawed planning. We owe it to them (people) to do better,” Poe said.
