THE Valenzuela City government held recently the ‘PANATAG: Valenzuela’s Flood Control Resilience Initiatives” summit where a memorandum of agreement for the formulation of the Urban Drainage Master Plan was sealed with the University of the Philippines-Resilience Institute.
The event brought together local officials, experts, and community representatives to present the city’s comprehensive flood mitigation strategies and long-term plans against recurring disasters, Mayor Wes Gatchalian said.
It has been organized in the wake of the successive onslaught of tropical cyclones, namely, Crising, Dante, Emong, and the enhanced southwest monsoon (‘habagat’) which battered Northern and Central Luzon in July.
During the same event, Gatchalian signed an executive order creating the Valenzuela City Flood Control Advisory Council, which would bring together various departments to oversee and sustain all flood mitigation programs.
A highlight of the summit was the MOA signing with UPRI and NOAH Center led by UP president Angelo Jimenez and UPRI Executive Director Mahar Lagmay.
“The agreement formalized the formulation of the Urban Drainage Master Plan for Valenzuela City, a comprehensive blueprint that would guide the city’s science-based, long-term flood control strategy,” Gatchalian said.
Given its geographical location as a low-lying area intersected by creeks and drainage lines, Valenzuela has long been vulnerable to flooding, the mayor said.
The initiatives highlighted during the summit included Tinig ng Barangay, launched in August as a venue for residents to directly raise flood concerns to Mayor Gatchalian; the Task Force Kalinisan and Oplan Balik Linis Ganda, which led large-scale cleanups of drainage systems and waterways; and the continued expansion and rehabilitation of the city’s pumping stations located in flood-prone villages such as Balangkas, Poblacion, Polo, Isla, Wawang Pulo, Coloong, and Marulas.
The local government also presented its investment in major infrastructure projects such as the Panatag Water Catchment along Mac-Arthur Highway – the first of its kind in Valenzuela – designed to capture floodwaters and reduce the impact of heavy rainfall on one of the city’s busiest thoroughfares.
It also strengthened its partnerships with national agencies and the private sector through a joint cleanup and dredging operation of 11 priority waterways with the Department of Transportation, North Luzon Expressway Corporation and Department of Public Works and Highways.
Through the flood control summit, the city underscored that resilience is possible when communities, government, and institutions work together to overcome long-standing challenges and prepare for the future, the Valenzuela mayor pointed out.
