Acting on a direct directive from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) announced the immediate repair and restoration of damaged flood control infrastructure nationwide.
The initiative aims to fortify the country’s disaster resilience and mitigate the risk of severe flooding as the rainy season approaches. DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon emphasized that the agency is prioritizing “hollow” or structurally compromised projects to ensure they are fully operational before the onset of heavy rains.
Secretary Dizon identified three key provinces where rehabilitation efforts will be intensified:
-
Bulacan
-
Oriental Mindoro
-
Davao
The Secretary underscored the urgency of the situation during a press briefing on Monday, noting that the window for preparation is closing quickly. “We need to fix the flood controls that are hollow and damaged. We have to fix them this year before the rainy season comes,” Secretary Dizon stated. “It’s not been six months anymore; it’s going to rain again. We won’t allow these places to flood like before. That is the President’s order: it must be fixed before the rains arrive.”
The DPWH is currently mobilizing regional offices to conduct rapid assessments and deploy engineering teams to identified “hotspots.” The focus remains on structural integrity, ensuring that dikes, seawalls, and drainage systems can withstand the peak volume of the upcoming monsoon and typhoon cycles.
By addressing these defects now, the DPWH aims to provide peace of mind to vulnerable communities and prevent the repeat of historical flood damage in the prioritized regions.
