President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said extreme rainfall brought about by climate change is becoming a “new normal” that the Philippines must confront, even as the government continues to improve flood-control measures.

“Sa loob ng limang oras, 201 millimeters of rain poured. Ito ay katumbas ng 44 percent ng ulan na bumagsak during Typhoon Ondoy over a period of 24 hours. This is equivalent to 50,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Yan ang bumagsak noong Lunes. Yan ang ating hinaharap dahil sa climate change. Now it is becoming a little bit the new normal,” Marcos said.

The President made the statement during a briefing following a situational meeting with Cabinet officials at the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) headquarters in Pasig City.

Marcos cited the volume of rainfall to explain the widespread flooding that hit Metro Manila on Monday, stranding motorists and commuters along major roads including EDSA, Taft Avenue, España Boulevard, Quezon Avenue and Marcos Highway.

Despite the increasingly extreme rainfall, Marcos said the government, led by the Department of Public Works and Highways, MMDA and local government units, continues to dredge waterways and upgrade drainage systems to mitigate flooding.

“Dati na two storeys ang baha, ngayon ay ga-tuhod na lang at ang iba ay hindi na binaha. Ngayon din ay mas mabilis na ang pagsubside ng tubig. Dati maghihintay ng dalawa o tatlong araw bago humupa ang baha, ngayon wala pang isang araw ay wala na,” he said.

Marcos also said old and undersized drainage pipes have been replaced to improve water flow.

“Pinalitan na natin ang mga World War II pang mga tubo na maliliit ng mas malalaking tubo para mas mabilis ang pagdaloy ng tubig. Also, our pumping stations, we have 73 pumping stations that are functioning,” he said.

According to Marcos, the southwest monsoon and recent tropical cyclones have affected 4,700 barangays and 1.7 million families, leaving 27 people dead and 17 injured.

Dutch firm tapped for flood mitigation

Meanwhile, MMDA Chairperson Don Artes said Dutch engineering consultancy Haskoning is conducting a study on flood mitigation measures for Metro Manila.

“So, they are experts in managing flood water. They are doing a study on us. In fact, the preliminary draft has already been submitted. They identified 30 sites where we will make nature-based solutions and catchments. The detailed engineering design is just being finished, hopefully within the month,” Artes said.

The identified locations include a government property inside Camp Aguinaldo, where nearly half a hectare of a golf course could be converted into a 10-meter-deep rainwater catchment designed to help prevent flooding in the EDSA-White Plains area.

Artes clarified that not all 30 sites would be developed as catchment facilities. At the University of the Philippines, for example, the proposal involves deepening the Sunken Garden through dredging.

“The purpose of nature-based solutions and catchments is to prevent the old, antiquated, and clogged drainage system from being overwhelmed during heavy downpour,” Artes said.

He added that Marcos instructed agencies to study how water collected by large catchment facilities, including those proposed at Rizal Memorial and Camp Aguinaldo, could be reused.

“He told us to coordinate with our water concessionaires on what we can do to use the water that we can save in the rain catchment,” Artes said.

The MMDA hopes to complete at least one rainwater catchment facility before the 2027 rainy season.

Another site is being proposed at the University of Santo Tomas. Artes said the university has not approved the project, but negotiations are continuing.