Muntinlupa City Mayor Ruffy Biazon called on residents to do their part in preventing floods through maintaining their surroundings clean as the city begins work on a long-term drainage master plan.
In a social media post, Biazon said the Drainage Master Plan-Inter Agency Team (DMP-IAT) was formed through an executive order he signed dating back to 2023, a year after he was first elected as city mayor in 2022.
The DMP-IAT is tasked in creating a city-wide plan to address flooding in Muntinlupa.
Biazon acknowledged that because of the scope of the goal, the master plan will take time and significant resources to be implemented. He added that infrastructures alone are not enough to solve the flooding problem.
“There are other [ways to help address flooding], such as keeping our drainage systems clean. Because even if we build new drainage, if it gets clogged with garbage like what’s currently happening, we will still sink in flood,” Biazon said in Filipino.
The Munti mayor urged residents to take responsibility by not littering and keeping drainage systems unobstructed, emphasizing that the effectiveness of projects depends on community cooperation.
“Patience and cooperation from the citizens will really be needed,” Biazon added.
According to Biazon, only Quezon City and Manila have official drainage master plans. In Manila, he noted, began drafting its plan in 2021 and is now preparing for execution.