The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Tuesday, 24 March, directed Metro Manila Local Government Units (LGUs) to immediately identify their most flood-prone communities as the agency accelerates preparations under the current administration’s “Oplan Kontra Baha.”
During a briefing after the Metro Manila Council (MMC), DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon outlined the agency’s updated targets and emphasized the urgency of clearing waterways and repairing key flood-control facilities ahead of the rainy season.
“In the second round of our operations, we will declog priority local roads. We will send equipment, manpower, and resources to areas identified by the Metro Manila mayors,” Dizon said.
He added that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has instructed DPWH to ensure that all non-operating pumping stations across the National Capital Region are restored to working condition within the next few months.
“Upon the orders of the President, non-operating pumping stations should be operational before the rainy season,” he told local officials, urging them to submit requests for new pumping stations in areas where the facilities are most needed.
Dizon said the expanded operations will include intensified declogging of drainage systems, dredging and cleaning of waterways, clearing of obstructions, and stricter waste-management measures.