The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) plans to roll out new flood defenses in Bulacan and Pampanga starting next year to accelerate protection for communities along northern Manila Bay that have long grappled with severe, recurring flooding.

At a media briefing on Wednesday, Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said the agency could begin work on detention basins as early as January, while an earth dike being studied with foreign experts could move toward implementation by the second quarter.

“They said that in six months, we can have something already for the earth dike. So, hopefully by the second quarter of next year, we can begin—we can already begin the process of implementing that project,” Dizon said.

“For the others, like the detention basin, I think we can start as early as January. That has already been studied. We are just asking for help on the final conceptual designs from our partners,” he added.

The initial program will focus on Hagonoy, Obando and parts of Malolos in Bulacan, as well as Macabebe, Masantol and Sasmuan in Pampanga.

Dizon said the government is developing interventions specifically for these areas rather than applying the same flood-control designs used in Metro Manila.

“Flood mitigation interventions in an urbanized city are different from those in cities and municipalities like Obando, Hagonoy, Masantol, Macabebe. They are very different,” Dizon said.

The DPWH is working with foreign experts to develop a hybrid flood-control strategy combining conventional infrastructure with nature-based defenses instead of relying heavily on concrete.

The strategy could combine earth dikes and detention basins with nature-based measures such as bamboo cribs and mangrove rehabilitation, alongside conventional flood-control structures.

“There is no one-size-fits-all here. We will study and implement everything that can be done,” Dizon said.

DPWH is also exploring the use of dredged materials from the Pampanga River and other waterways to fill bamboo cribs along Manila Bay, cutting the wait for mangrove planting to just one year from three to five years under natural sediment buildup.

With the interventions still under design, Dizon said the government has yet to determine how much the program would cost.

“The cost, I don't know yet because we don't have the plan. We cannot give cost estimates for that yet,” Dizon added.

The government is tapping foreign experts to help finalize the interventions, drawing on their experience to avoid ineffective spending while accelerating protection for flood-prone communities.