By CESAR JOLITO III
A long-term, citywide strategy to end chronic flooding in Bacolod City is now taking shape as local and national stakeholders gathered yesterday for the 2nd Bacolod Flood Mitigation Summit — an event highlighted by Lone District Representative Alfredo Abelardo Benitez’s call for a “blueprint for the next generation.”
The summit, held two months after the inaugural meeting in October, convened technical experts, national agencies, barangay leaders, civil society organizations, and private-sector groups to refine a comprehensive matrix of flood-related problems and corresponding solutions.
Benitez, in his keynote address, stressed that solving Bacolod’s flooding crisis requires total collaboration.
“There is no single project, no single agency, and no single individual who can solve flooding … It takes everyone,” Benitez said.
“Flooding has affected our homes, our businesses, our roads, our health, and our confidence as a community. Today is about building a future where flooding does not define Bacolod,” he added.
Bacolod’s primary goal is to produce a flood mitigation masterplan, envisioned as a unified guide for the next 10 years.
The plan will integrate short-term actions such as regular clearing and desilting operations, strict waste enforcement, full drainage inventory and stronger zoning implementation, while medium-term interventions include construction of ramps for equipment access to rivers, planned relocation of at-risk communities, and systematic dredging.
Long-term engineering solutions include catch basins and widened river channels, updated hydrology studies, modern drainage system designs, and large-scale flood mitigation infrastructure.
Environmental strategies such as mangrove rehabilitation and rainwater harvesting, along with private-sector requirements for runoff control, will also form part of the blueprint.
During the past month, teams from various sectors consolidated issues affecting the city’s flood vulnerability, including obstructed and narrowed waterways; informal settlements along riverbanks needing humane, long-term relocation; persistent waste management lapses; old, undersized and incomplete drainage systems; and more intense rainfall due to climate change.
The findings, Benitez said, “tell us the truth about our situation,” but also show that Bacolod is “full of solutions” coming from engineers, civic groups, barangays, national agencies, and ordinary residents.
Stakeholders are set to elect a technical working group tasked with transforming summit recommendations into a white paper — serving as the initial draft of the long-awaited masterplan.
Benitez praised the participation of government agencies, barangay officials, urban planners, engineers, and civil society organizations like the Bacolod Anti-Baha Alliance.
“History will remember who showed up. Flooding may be our problem today … but it will not be the story of our future,” he said.
Oplan Kontra Baha
Benitez also recognized the Department of Public Works and Highways for its updates on Oplan Kontra Baha, noting that initial clearing and desilting activities demonstrate the importance of consistent, year-round maintenance.
“Our rivers cannot remain clogged for years and then be cleaned for one day. We need steady, disciplined work,” he said.
Benitez closed his address by urging Bacolodnons to shape the future through collective action.
“Great cities are built by people who choose to shape their future rather than wait for it,” Benitez said.
“Starting today, we choose a safer, stronger and more resilient Bacolod,” he added.
The congressman hopes the city’s emerging flood masterplan can serve as a model for other Philippine communities facing the same challenges./CJ, WDJ