House bicam contingent wants P1B earmarked for UP's Project NOAH

The House of Representatives is lobbying for a P1 billion allocation to be earmarked for the University of the Philippines’ Project NOAH, which is believed to help the government effectively mitigate the country’s worsening flood crisis.

House committee on appropriations Mikaela Suansing made the pitch on Saturday, during the first day of the bicameral conference committee’s deliberations on the conflicting provisions on the 2026 proposed budget, which was opened to the public for the first time in history via livestream.

The proposal drew support from Senator Loren Legarda, who asserted that it’s high time for Congress to finally set aside the necessary funds for the Project NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards Project), which has been deprived of government support since it was launched in 2012.

The Project NOAH, according to Suansing, would collaborate closely with the Department of Public Works and Highways on how to properly design and monitor flood control projects across the country.

“They will be able to simulate a particular area and pinpoint exactly up to the coordinate levels where a flood control structure should be placed,” Suansing told their Senate counterparts, adding that the project would also determine the required height and measurement to mitigate the flooding in a particular area, especially those in the flood-prone areas.

Furthermore, she emphasized that this leaves no room for crooks in the government to build flood control projects in areas where they're unnecessary, just to get kickbacks.

During budget deliberations in the House in September, Suansing said Project NOAH would support the DPWH in identifying red zone areas posing a high risk of fatalities, either high flood waters/water levels or high water velocity.

Project NOAH is the country’s primary climate-risk mapping initiative, providing hazard maps and early warnings for floods, storm surges, and other natural disasters.

The Department of Science and Technology initially established it in 2012. The UP Resilience Institute took over in 2017 after the government defunded it.

Suansing underscored the project's importance, noting that it has been a reliable tool for the public, providing real-time weather data and accurate hazard maps, despite its budget dwindling from P500 million to P36 million in recent years.

Negros Occidental Rep. Javi Benitez also told the bicam that now more than ever, the Project NOAH needs substantial government funding support, especially amid the frequent and destructive typhoons and weather disturbances.

He said the project helps local government units with disaster preparedness, making it necessary for Congress to earmark the required funds to enable Project NOAH to update its hazard map, last updated in 2012.