Marcos cites need to improve weather monitoring to mitigate floods

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Tuesday vowed that his administration would focus on building multi-use infrastructure and improved weather forecasting to mitigate floods.

“‘Yun lamang at talagang kailangan tingnan nang mabuti kung ano ‘yun magiging weather, kaya’t kasama rin diyan hindi lamang sa flood control… nagbago na hindi lang ‘yung paglagay ng dike, hindi lang ‘yung paglagay ng dam, kung hindi pati na ang pagbantay nang mabuti sa panahon,” Marcos said in an interview in Zamboanga City.

(That’s all and we need to look carefully what will be the weather, that’s also included in the flood control, in the construction of dikes, of dams, but also monitoring the weather.)

Marcos emphasized that climate change has been taking its toll on communities, noting that those who do not usually experience floods in the past could now be easily hit with floods.

Marcos is also considering having impounding pools to control floods.

“In other words, maghuhukay tayo, doon natin iiipon ‘yung tubig. Maganda ‘yan dahil unang-una hindi nasasayang ‘yung tubig, may iiwan doon sa atin,” Marcos said.

(In other words, we will dig and we will store there the water. It’s good because we will not waste the water.)

“Tapos pagka medyo tuyo, pag hindi na umuulan, gamitin natin ‘yung tubig para pang-irrigation ulit, puwede pang lagyan ng isda,” he added.

(Once it dries and it’s no longer raining, we will use the water for irrigation, we can also put fish there.)

In June, Marcos tasked the Water Resources Management Office to come up with a comprehensive plan to protect coastal areas from floods during the rainy season.

He said the estimated cost of flood control projects of the government in Metro Manila and its surrounding areas was at P351 billion. — Anna Felicia Bajo/RSJ, GMA Integrated News