President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he did not discuss the 2028 elections with former Vice President and Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo during their meeting yesterday, adding that they will eventually “get to that.”
“We did not discuss (politics). I think the mayor (Robredo) will agree with me, public service first before politics. There are so many things we need to do first,” Mr. Marcos said after they inspected the Oplan Kontra Baha project at Sagop Creek.
“We will get to that. Aabot din tayo doon,” the President added.
Pressed about a possible political alliance with Robredo, President Marcos declined to comment.
“What we are here for is to try and find solutions to this very important problem of flooding, a very critical problem that we have not only here in Naga City but also in Camarines Sur and for that matter for the whole of Bicol,” Mr. Marcos said.
“The most political thing that we did today: I wore my pink socks in honor of Mayor Leni.”
For her part, Robredo said it was too early to discuss the 2028 national elections, saying her priority remains fulfilling her responsibilities as mayor.
“I do not consider discussing politics this early. There is so much work to be done,” Robredo said.
“The most political thing that we did today: I wore my pink socks in honor of Mayor Leni.”
—President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“It has been a year since I sat as mayor. If I talk about 2028 now, that is a disservice to the people,” she added.
As this developed, Mr. Marcos assured the public his administration is working on long-term solutions to address flooding in the country.
“This is only the beginning. This is just desiltation. Like what we are doing elsewhere, this is not going to be one time,” he told reporters after inspecting the project at Sagop Creek.
“We will keep doing this until we have the more long-term solutions and hopefully, if we design everything properly, we won’t have to go back and forth over and over again,” Mr. Marcos added.
Led by the Department of Public Works and Highways, Oplan Kontra Baha aims to reduce flooding through rapid on-the-ground interventions.
Flood mitigation measures include declogging of canals, removal of illegal obstructions along waterways, river dredging, rehabilitation of pumping stations, maintenance of flood-control structures, and mobilization of equipment and personnel in flood-prone areas.
Naga City was selected as a pilot area for Oplan Kontra Baha due to its high susceptibility to flooding within the Bicol River Basin, highlighting the need for focused and sustained flood-mitigation efforts.
The program focused on the town’s 10-kilometer Sagop Creek, a major waterway closely monitored by the local government.
The creek’s channel passes through five villages that are highly vulnerable to flooding, particularly Del Rosario, Concepcion Grande, Concepcion Pequeña, Triangulo and Tabuco.
As of Friday, initial clearing and desilting operations resulted in the removal of 2,350 cubic meters of silt, vegetation and solid waste from priority waterways, including Sagop Creek, sections in Barangay Concepcion Pequeña, the Bicol River (Esplanade section), and Milaor Creek along Maharlika Highway.
