Severe tropical storm "Paeng" (Tropical Cyclone Nalgae) once again brings to the forefront the importance of investing in innovative infrastructures that will help alleviate vulnerable communities from perennial floods and inundation.

Last week, "Paeng" made a final landfall in Quezon Province and proceeded to cross over Laguna de Bay and Metro Manila. "Paeng" did not only bring strong winds but also discharged heavy rains. As a result, Laguna Lake overflowed and submerged several cities and municipalities in Laguna in flood waters affecting thousands of families from San Pedro to San Pablo, causing damage to infrastructures and destroying agricultural goods.

"Paeng" reminded me of typhoon "Ulysses" which hit Metro Manila and Calabarzon areas in November of 2020, also inundating shoreline communities along Laguna de Bay for weeks. Scientific forecasts show that because of climate change and global warming, our country will be burdened yearly with much stronger storms and typhoons.

We all know that much of Metro Manila was built on the plains surrounding two major tributaries: Marikina and Pasig Rivers. Laguna Lake serves as a water basin for both. Marikina River is connected to Laguna Lake through the Manggahan Floodway and the Napindan River, and the Pasig River is connected with both Napindan and Lower Marikina Rivers. As I once served as a director for Laguna Lake Development Authority, and I am aware that one of the biggest problems that exacerbate flooding in the shorelines is the volume of sediments going into Laguna Lake. Several proposals have been made mostly to dredge and desilt the lake, but these can cause severe environmental impact and are very impractical.

However, one worthy infrastructure project that my wife, Congresswoman Ann Matibag (1st District of Laguna), has pushed to be prioritized under the "Build, Better, More" program that offers a solution to protect vulnerable communities along the shorelines of Laguna Lake is the Laguna Lakeshore Road Network. The LLRN Project is one of the seven projects under the Infrastructure Preparation and Innovation Facility of the Department of Public Works and Highways. It is a road network along the coastline of Laguna de Bay divided into two phases: Phase I traverses the western coastline from Taguig, Muntinlupa to Calamba City, while Phase II runs from north to south through the eastern part of the lake.

A feasibility study of LLRN Phase I funded by the Asian Development Bank was done almost two years ago and the final design is a 37-kilometer road with a combination of viaduct and shoreline embankment. It will start in Lower Bicutan in Taguig City and end in Calamba City. There will be eight interchanges consisting of Lower Bicutan, Sucat, Alabang, Tunasan, San Pedro/Biñan, Santa Rosa, Cabuyao, and Calamba. All the interchanges will connect to the nearest public road of each city.