MANILA, Philippines – NAKATAKDANG dumating sina Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon sa Bacolod City, araw ng Biyernes, Disyembre 12, 2025 para inspeksyunin ang Oplan Kontra Baha clearing operations sa mga ilog, sa mga sapa at drainage systems.
Sinabi ni City, Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez na ipi-presenta niya ang resulta ng Second Bacolod Flood Mitigation Summit, idinaos sa Sugarland Hotel sa Bacolod City, araw ng Miyerkules, sa Pangulo.
Ang second summit ay isinagawa para i-refine ang short-, medium-, at long-term interventions at i-align ang mga ito tungo sa paglikha ng Flood Mitigation Masterplan, ayon kay Benitez, magsisilbi aniyang “a blueprint for the next decade, not just the next storm.”
“The masterplan is expected to include drainage inventory and enforcement measures, relocation of at-risk families, systematic dredging, major engineering works such as catch basins and widened river channels, and environmental strategies including mangrove rehabilitation and rainwater harvesting,” ang pahayag ni Benitez.
“Solving Bacolod’s long-standing flooding problem “is not a choice — it is a necessity for a growing, thriving, and forward-looking city,” ang sinabi pa rin ni Benitez sa kanyang talumpati sa summit.
“If we want Bacolod to reach its full potential, we need to confront the problems that hold us back. Today is about facing that reality squarely — and building a future where flooding does not define Bacolod,” ang sinabi ni Benitez.
Aniya pa, “there is no single project, no single agency, and no single individual who can solve flooding.”
“It takes engineering. It takes science. It takes planning. It takes enforcement. It takes citizen discipline. It takes leadership. It takes everyone,” dagdag na pahayag ni Benitez.
Simula pa Oktubre, pinagsama-sama na ng technical teams at sector representatives ang comprehensive matrix na bumabalangkas sa ‘flood-related challenges at corresponding interventions’ sa Bacolod.
Ang matrix “tells us the truth about our situation” — from obstructed waterways, the need for humane relocation of households living along riverbanks, outdated drainage systems, and persistent waste management problems, to the certainty that climate change will worsen rainfall patterns,” ang tinuran ni Benitez.
“But the matrix also tells us something else: Bacolod is full of solutions — solutions from engineers, civic groups, national agencies, and from Bacolodnons themselves. This alone gives me hope, because a community that works together is a community that wins,” aniya pa rin.
Kinilala naman nito ang Department of Public Works and Highways para sa updates ukol sa Oplan Kontra Baha, sabay sabing ang “consistent clearing and desilting work is essential.”
“Our rivers cannot remain clogged for years and then be cleaned for one day — we need consistency, and this is the start of that discipline,” ani Benitez.
“Technical Working Group will consolidate all recommendations from the first and second summits into a white paper, which will form the basis of the long-awaited masterplan,” dagdag na wika nito.
Ani Benitez, ang Bacolod master plan ay naglalayon na magsilbi bilang isang modelo para sa nalalabing bahagi ng bansa.
“If we succeed here, I hope this becomes a blueprint not just for Bacolod, but for every city and community in our country facing the same challenges,” anito.
“A third summit will be held next year to finalize flood control projects under the masterplan, which will be pushed for funding in the 2027 national budget,” dagdag na pahayag ni Benitez. Kris Jose
