As the government drew flak over the floods that disrupted classes and work this week, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) cited the construction of a rainwater catchment basin inside UST as among the projects that can help address the perennial flooding in España.
DPWH Secretary Vicencio Dizon said the approval of stakeholders and the issuance of right of way are needed to carry out the flood mitigation projects.
“Just coordinate with the LGU (local government unit), and as long as we secure the right of way, we can easily do it,” he said in a press conference on Tuesday, Aug. 18, at Malacañang.
“Before, there was a plan to build a reservoir inside UST, but it remains a plan until now. So the plans should be translated to action once and for all. That is the directive of the President,” he added.
In a chance interview, Dizon has assured that the government would engage with stakeholders to be affected by the projects.
“For me… We should be open to everything. Right? All possible solutions (to flooding), we need to be open,” Dizon said when reminded that a similar project drew opposition because of its possible impact on UST’s old structures.
“[I] understand them… we cannot force it (the construction),” he added.
The government under then-President Benigno Aquino III proposed the construction of a rainwater catchment basin in 2015, but it was opposed by UST because it may result in the collapse of old structures.
The DPWH cancelled the project that would have built a basin beneath the University’s open field, which was declared a National Cultural Treasure in 2010.
When the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority announced a plan to pursue a catch basin in August last year, the University reiterated the importance of preserving the open field.
RELATED: MMDA eyes 72,000-cubic-meter catch basin in UST to address flooding
UST Facilities Management Office director Fr. Dexter Austria, O.P., previously told The Flame that the open field “must be preserved and protected as part of our cultural heritage.”
The España campus constructed its own stormwater drainage system in 2018 and completed an upgrade in 2024. However, an official from FMO previously admitted that it is not enough to prevent flooding.
READ: ‘UST storm water drainage not enough to address recurrent flooding’
Old drainage system
Dizon attributed the flooding along España to its aging and undersized drainage system that has not been replaced for about 50 years. While declogging operations are ongoing, he said the area needs larger drainage lines.
“[In] España, there is nowhere for the water to go… So, when the old and small drainage lines are filled, [the water] overflows,” the public works chief said.
To ease the flooding in the area, the DPWH and the Manila city government will begin constructing four cross-drainage lines along España Boulevard in September. The project will divert overflowing water to Manila’s esteros, which lead to the Pasig River.
Dizon said the broader improvements in the capital city are planned under the DPWH’s proposed budget for next year. He added that the upgrades to Metro Manila’s postwar drainage systems may extend beyond the current administration.
Other projects
The public works secretary also revealed that his agency is working with the Manila city government on flood-control projects at the Bustillos Market in Legarda and the Plaza Rajah Sulayman Park in Malate.
He also cited a longstanding project at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, saying the agency only needs the approval of stakeholders to resolve right-of-way issues.
Floods caused by the southwest monsoon made several roads in Manila and Quezon City inaccessible to light vehicles last Aug. 17, with some areas reporting knee-deep water. Nearly 5,000 Thomasians were stranded in various campus buildings that day.
Floodwaters along España Boulevard near M. Dela Fuente Street reached about 24 inches, while stretches of Rizal Avenue and Abad Santos Avenue also experienced knee-deep flooding. F — Dave Justine Desilos and Yimrhaq Mariano
