The City of Manila is stepping up efforts to strengthen its flood preparedness through real-time data and coordinated response mechanisms.

This comes as Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso on Tuesday led the groundbreaking of the Manila City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MCDRRMO) Flood Monitoring Command Center at the Manila North Cemetery.

Domagoso said the command center will allow city authorities to closely track floodwaters along rivers, creeks, and other flood-prone areas across Manila, improving decision-making during typhoons and heavy rains that hit the capital every year.

He said the facility will empower city personnel with proper data management and continuous monitoring of floodwaters around the city, including riverside and creekside areas.

Project details show that the facility will include a flood monitoring and command center, control and server rooms, offices and training spaces for MCDRRMO personnel, a mortuary, and three fully air-conditioned public viewing rooms. Support facilities such as a generator room and elevators are also part of the project.

The mayor stressed that accurate information and timely action could make a crucial difference during disasters, noting that flooding is a recurring challenge faced by the city annually.

“This facility may save lives with accurate data, timely action, and information. I think we may save lives and property during challenging—not just some years, but every year of our life,” Domagoso said.

He added that the project reflects what local governments can do within their mandate while investigations into flood control projects are ongoing, emphasizing the need to focus on action rather than assigning blame.

“Hindi para ituro ang daliri kung kani-kaninong mukha, but to act on the matter to help its citizens or constituents,” he said.

Domagoso said the facility will combine technology, environmental measures, and trained personnel, enabling the city to rely on data analysis and planning rather than guesswork.

“This is where they started: with the right data, you can create the right action plan,” he said.

The mayor also noted that the complex will include free, fully air-conditioned public viewing rooms for families who lack space to hold wakes in densely populated communities.

“The poor people will have a fully air-conditioned public burulan sa tabi ng sementeryo,” he said.

He added that the project addresses long-standing concerns over the handling of the dead by providing a proper mortuary and coroner’s office for unclaimed bodies and disaster-related cases.

“For the first time, this facility will also build a coroner’s office where the remains that have been left for a long time will be taken care of by your city government in a proper and correct facility,” Domagoso said.

He said the project responds to repeated requests from communities and forms part of the city government’s effort to return taxpayer money through services that protect lives and restore dignity.

“Every life, every person, every human being that we may and can save is one success,” Domagoso said.