President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has launched Oplan Kontra Baha, a multi-sectoral campaign designed to reduce flooding in Metro Manila and nearby provinces by up to 60 percent through extensive clearing and rehabilitation of waterways and drainage systems.
Speaking during the program’s launch in Parañaque City, Marcos said that accumulated silt and garbage in waterways have been among the primary causes of persistent floods in urban areas.
“Scientists estimate around 60-percent decrease in flooding if this will be fixed,” the President said. “It’s the beginning of a very wide-ranging program to at least partially solve the problem of flooding, especially in the urban areas, especially in Metro Manila and the other highly urbanized cities and provinces,” he added.
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Massive Waterway Clearing Across Metro Manila
The first phase of Oplan Kontra Baha will run for nine months, until mid-2026, but Marcos emphasized that clearing and maintenance efforts will continue indefinitely. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has integrated the initiative into its regular Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses to ensure it becomes a year-round activity.
The program, jointly implemented by the DPWH, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and local government units, will clear 142.4 kilometers of waterways and 333.15 kilometers of drainage systems across Metro Manila. The goal is to lessen flooding in low-lying communities during the rainy season.
“The national government, LGUs, or the private sector alone cannot solve this,” Marcos stressed, highlighting the importance of collective action.
He added that Oplan Kontra Baha will eventually be expanded to other flood-prone areas, including Cebu, Bacolod, Bulacan, Pampanga, Laguna, Davao, and Cagayan de Oro.
Whole-of-Nation Effort Against Flooding
The President noted that Oplan Kontra Baha is part of a broader flood mitigation strategy that includes watershed rehabilitation, relocation of ineffective pumping stations, and the construction of upstream water impounding systems to manage rainfall overflow.
“This is not an instant solution. We have to do many things,” Marcos said. “Once most of this is completed, by the next rainy season we’ll already feel a big reduction in flooding.”
Marcos also ordered the immediate use of dredging and desilting equipment that had been idle in DPWH warehouses since 2018, calling it a waste of resources amid worsening flood conditions.
Metro Manila Commission President and San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora said the initiative has the full support of the region’s 17 mayors.
“Through this whole-of-nation approach, in which the national government, local governments, and the private sector have united to address flooding in Metro Manila, we are confident that the situation will vastly improve,” Zamora said.
MMDA Chairman Don Artes likewise assured residents that clearing and desilting efforts will continue throughout the capital. He reminded the public that proper waste disposal remains a crucial factor in flood prevention.
Operations are currently under way in key areas, including Valenzuela City, Tondo, Las Piñas, San Juan River, and Parañaque, signaling the start of what Marcos hopes will be a long-term, coordinated effort toward a flood-resilient Metro Manila.
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