QC solon seeks restoration of scrapped flood control projects

Citing persistent floods plaguing key areas of Quezon City, a lawmaker urged the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to restore critical flood control projects in his district.

During Wednesday’s hearing on the proposed 2026 DPWH budget at the House of Representatives, congressman Bong Suntay lamented that projects he had previously identified as priority interventions were no longer included in the department’s allocations.

"’Yung mga inirata ko to put them in their proper place kung saan talaga kailangan at aligned doon sa master plan ng Quezon City, totally nawala. So I'm requesting if it could once again be reconsidered," he said.

(The projects I had earmarked to put them in their proper place where they are really needed and aligned with Quezon City’s master plan were totally removed. So I’m requesting if these could once again be reconsidered.)

DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon explained that drainage works are not being disregarded, noting that improvements tied to road developments are still covered.

"Unang-una, kagaya ng nasabi ko kanina, kapag ang drainage kasama sa 001 category, kasama sa development ng kalye, kasama po yan, hindi mawawala," Dizon said.

(First of all, as I mentioned earlier, if drainage is included in the 001 category, meaning it is part of road development, it will not be removed.)

He acknowledged, however, that standalone drainage works under the 002 category for flood control have been excluded.

"So ‘yan nga po talagang mga nasama, stand-alone drainage sa 002 under flood control ang natanggal unfortunately po. So pipilitin po natin at titignan po natin kung ano ang pwedeng gawin given ang existing roads natin na gagawin sa inyong distrito," he said.

(So unfortunately, what was removed were the stand-alone drainage projects under 002 flood control. We will try to see what can be done given the existing roads that will be developed in your district.)

Suntay identified at least three flood-prone areas requiring urgent attention: Barangay South Triangle from EDSA to Samar Avenue, the stretch of Timog Avenue in front of a burger stall up to Quezon Avenue, and the Lagarian Creek outlet along Araneta Avenue leading to Aurora Boulevard.

"Maganda ang kalsada, huwag nating galawin ang kalsada, sementado naman yan. Ang kailangan lang ang improvement ng drainage dahil maliit po ang drainage doon, luma eh," he said of the South Triangle area.

(The road is good, let’s not touch it, it’s already cemented. What’s needed is the improvement of drainage because it’s too small and already old.)

Suntay stressed that unless the drainage system is fully connected—particularly at Lagarian Creek—upgrades would be ineffective.

In response, Dizon assured him that the DPWH would revisit Dizon’s concerns.

"Nano-note na ang mga nabanggit. Kakausapin po natin ang regional director ng NCR pati yung current DE para tignan po natin kung paano natin ma-address ito given the limited fiscal space po natin ngayon. Pero pipilitin po natin Mr. Chairman," he said.

?(The points you raised have been noted. We will talk to the NCR regional director and the district engineer to see how we can address this given our limited fiscal space. But we will try our best, Mr. Chairman.)

Last month, August 30, a severe thunderstorm inundated Quezon City with rainfall nearly equivalent to a week’s normal volume, triggering widespread flooding in several major roads and low-lying areas of the city. 

According to PAGASA, the Science Garden Station in Quezon City recorded 134.2 millimeters of rain between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. This amount is almost equal to a week’s worth of rain, based on the monthly normal of 568.5 mm.

Affected areas included Mother Ignacia Avenue, Elliptical Road, Araneta Avenue, Katipunan Avenue, EDSA-Centris, and portions of Quezon Avenue.

In its assessment, PAGASA concluded that the localized thunderstorm over northern Metro Manila was severe enough to overwhelm drainage and waterways, leading to significant flooding across Quezon City.

The Quezon City local government unit (LGU) on Saturday said intense flooding occurred in Districts 1, 3, and 4 which caused major inconvenience to the public.

It said 36 out of 142 barangays were affected by flooding. — RF, GMA Integrated News