Proper waste management only part of solution vs. flooding woes — DENR

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said on Tuesday proper waste disposal is just a fraction of the solution to the flooding problem in the country.

Pampanga 4th District Representative Anna York Bondoc lamented that her district has become the end point for the trash during flooding, noting that trash traps are no longer effective.

“Kahapon po, baha pa rin hanggang tuhod….So lahat ng basura, bumababa po sa amin….What we are doing kasi po maliit lang ang magagawa ng mga trash traps and embudo po kami, we are the lowest of the low, so nababara po lahat ng basura doon,” she said during the House Committee on Appropriations’ hearing on the DENR’s proposed budget for 2026.

(Yesterday, the flood was still knee-deep... So all the trash goes down to us... What we are doing is because the trash traps can only do so little, and we are the funnel, we are the lowest of the low, so all the trash gets stuck there.)

For its part, the DENR emphasized the need for a “more holistic” strategy to address flooding in the country.

“The DENR believes in a more holistic strategy to flood control. Parte lang ang management ng basura. It’s part of the problem, but we espouse a flood control program that is not only centered in infrastructure,” said DENR Undersecretary Carlos Primo David.

“It has to happen at the very upstream, watershed protection, impoundment of water for future use or use during the dry season, clear our waterways instead of blocking and diverting, and proper land use planning in the downstream areas.”

Further, the department said there are talks with the Department of the Public Works and Highways for a river basin development program.

“I just want to stress the importance of, on the infrastructure side for the flood control. The greater coordination with the Department of Public Works, because the river basin development program has to be followed. So we are definitely going to work on that,” said DENR Secretary Raphael Lotilla.

Illegal logging

Meanwhile, Butuan Lone District Rep. Jose Aquino II asked the DENR regarding its policies regarding illegal logging which is also cited for floodings.

“For years, illegal logging has been widely cited as the primary culprit…Our area is considered hazardous due to flooding. May I ask the DENR if until now, logging is the cause of flooding? Ano na ba ang status ng illegal logging as today?” he asked.

In response, the DENR said it is deliberating on a policy that would help in the utilization of trees.

“Actually, yes in Region 13, although we recognize it as still part of the timber corridor of the Philippines, madami rin nangyayaring illegal diyan (There are also many illegal things happening there). But we are trying to evaluate the policy we have regarding the log ban….Currently, we are trying to deliberate on a policy that will better serve the public’s interest in terms of what we can do in the utilization of trees in the areas still,” said DENR Undersecretary Joselin Marcus Fragada.

Flooding is currently a hot issue in Congress after several contractors and government officials have been tagged to allegedly anomalous flood control projects. This is amid the rainy weather which has triggered flooding in various parts of the country. — BAP, GMA Integrated News