Tiangco pushes for stronger flood control in Navotas amid DPWH probe

As investigations on alleged irregularities in flood control projects continue, Navotas Rep. Tobias “Toby” Tiangco urged the government not to lose sight of the urgent need to protect flood-prone communities like his city.

Speaking at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum, Tiangco stressed that while anomalies must be probed, officials should also push ahead with effective flood mitigation programs. 

“Flood control is very personal to me,” he said. “This project reduced flooding in Navotas from 160 days a year to just three to five days. But with climate change, we need to ensure our defenses are stronger,” he said.

A longtime advocate of flood control, Tiangco credited the KaMaNaVa (Kaloocan-Malabon-Navotas-Valenzuela) Flood Control Project, funded through Japan’s Obuchi Funds, for improving living conditions in low-lying areas by building a ring-dike system and pumping stations.

He recalled that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. had already directed DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan to seek funds for rehabilitating the system after massive flooding hit Navotas during successive typhoons.

Since the Navotas floodgate’s completion in 2003, however, repeated breakdowns have caused renewed flooding—the latest incident on May 12 this year when a fishing vessel and tugboats damaged the gate. 

Tiangco is now pushing for a rehabilitation study and the possible construction of a second navigational floodgate to prevent further disasters. TRACY CABRERA