DPWH allocates P2.5B for 9-month 'Oplan Kontra Baha' in Metro Manila

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has allocated P2.5 billion for the Oplan Kontra Baha program in Metro Manila, Secretary Vince Dizon said Thursday. 

“Meron na po tayong nakalap na savings at 2.5 billion po ang budget ng DPWH lang sa susunod na siyam na buwan para dito,” Dizon told Dobol B TV in an interview.

(We have already collected savings and the DPWH budget for the next nine months is P2.5 billion.)

“So, talagang kailangan pondohan natin ito ng seryosohan kaysa naman kung saan-saan lang po napupunta. Nananakaw lang po ang pera. Ito po talagang makikita po natin ang resulta nito agad-agad,” he added.

(Instead of just being stolen, we really need to allocate funds to this program seriously. We will really see the results right away.)

The program covers around 120 estuaries, waterways, and rivers in the Greater Metro Manila area, according to Dizon.

On Wednesday, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. led the simultaneous launch of the Greater Metro Manila Waterways Clearing and Cleaning Operations.

Marcos ordered a whole-of-government and whole-of-nation approach through regular clearing of garbage, debris, and illegal structures in waterways and drainage to prevent floods. 

Dizon said they monitored some illegal structures that were built by government agencies. Some projects worsen the flooding, he added.

“May mga illegal structure, gobyerno at DPWH pa mismo ang nagpatayo. Meron pong estero sa Quezon City. Tinayuan po ng kalye. Pinatungan po ng kalye. DPWH project po yun. Mga 10 years na po ata ang nakaraan,” Dizon said.

(There are illegal structures built by the government and DPWH themselves. There is an estero in Quezon City built over a street. That was a DPWH project. It was about 10 years ago.)

“At hindi lang yun, nadiskubre natin din na mayroong mga flood control project na itinayo sa mga estero na imbes na makatulong ay nakasama pa. So kailangan din natin gibain yun,” he added.

(And not only that, we also discovered that there are flood control projects built on esteros that instead of helping, have worsened the problem. So we also need to demolish that.) — RSJ, GMA Integrated News