THE administration of Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte just did it right when it gathered leading experts from science, engineering, urban planning, social welfare, and disaster resilience sectors to share their expertise and knowledge during the local government-hosted Flood Summit 2025.
With its theme: ‘Rising Above Floods: Building Resilient Cities,’ it aimed to address the city’s flood challenges through science-driven forecasting, accountable infrastructure systems, and future-ready urban design.
The amiable and workaholic mayor was gratified by the support of representatives from the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, Philippine Space Agency, University of the Philippines-Resilience Institute and UP Institute of Environmental Science & Meteorology, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation, Department of Interior and Local Government and Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers.
The city chief executive also commended the United Architects of the Philippines, Palafox Associates, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, San Miguel Corporation, and the Center for Disaster Preparedness for sharing insights on “building a city that is safer, more responsive, and more resilient to extreme weather events.”
The summit’s technical discussions emphasized that improving early warning systems remains one of the most critical priorities for flood-prone urban areas.
They underscored the need for more accessible tools, user-friendly hazard maps, and capacity-building programs.
Belmonte cited the various programs of the city government in addressing flooding, preparing communities for disasters and in building a resilient city.
“Resilience has been thrown around casually in conversations on flooding and disasters, and too often used by those in power as an excuse to avoid accountability. But counting on our people’s resilience is no longer an option.”
“They deserve long-term solutions. We must therefore intensify our efforts and strengthen our systems so they can better support our communities in the years ahead,” she added.
Participants also pointed out gaps between national hazard forecasts and local decision-making timelines.
