President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. directed concerned government agencies on Thursday to overhaul the country’s flood control master plan, citing the escalating impact of climate change.
“The storms are different now,” he said in his address in Oriental Mindoro during a distribution of aid to farmers and fisherfolk affected by recent typhoons.
The President directed the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and other agencies to amend the country’s flood control master plan to meet the demands of increasingly severe weather events.
“We have flood control measures, but due to the increased water from the rainfall, they can no longer cope,” he said.
In Mimaropa, nearly P600 million has been allocated for flood control projects, of which P214.08 million covered recently completed flood structures in Oriental Mindoro.
The President likewise instructed the DENR and the Department of the Interior and Local Government to encourage local government units to utilize geohazard maps from the DENR-Mines and Geosciences Bureau.
These maps, he explained, are essential for identifying areas prone to landslides and flooding, helping communities better prepare for potential threats.
Mr. Marcos also reminded residents of the importance of heeding evacuation orders, especially those in high-risk areas.
“Do not hesitate to evacuate if it will save your life,” he said.
The President tasked the DPWH, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Science and Technology, and other agencies with assessing the integrity of roads and other infrastructure to ensure resilience against severe weather.
For his part, Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte said the time has come for the government to put up sturdy mega evacuation centers.
“It’s time for the national government to work with local governments in putting up permanent climate-proof and fully-equipped mega evacuation centers in elevated places to ensure that evacuees have safe and fully-equipped temporary shelters to go to whenever typhoons and other natural calamities strike especially our high-risk communities with ever increasing ferocity and frequency as a result of climate change,” Villafuerte said.
He said Congress is now finalizing the proposed “Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act” for submission to President Marcos for the creation of storm-resilient permanent evacuation centers in all cities and municipalities across the country.
For her part, Senator Imee Marcos expressed concern over a recent report indicating a low score in disaster response in the Philippines.
Marcos referred to the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative survey, which revealed that the country’s preparedness score is just 19.2 out of 50.
However, the HHI report noted that Filipinos’ self-reported disaster preparedness level has increased by 42 percent on average over the past seven years.
HHI said the 19.2 average score was a “significant improvement” from the average score of 13.5 in 2017.
“Every year, we’re battered by storms and floods. If we don’t take action now, we will all remain at risk. Three to five typhoons are still to come. There’s still time to climate-adapt our homes, at least to some extent,” Senator Marcos said.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Marcos orders revision of flood control plan amid rising threats.”
