28/07/2026
This is what Congressman Paolo “Pulong” Duterte is saying. But no one is willing to LISTEN 😔
PURO SILA PAMOMOLITIKA SA MGA Duterte LETCH3🤬
THE HOSTAGE BLUEPRINT: JICA MASTERPLAN FOR DAVAO CITY
What if I told you that a blueprint to stop the flooding in Davao City is already finished? It was designed by some of the best engineers in the world, printed, and is currently sitting on a desk in Manila.
Here is the truth about the JICA Master Plan, the political war currently holding it hostage, and what our Local Government Unit (LGU) is doing to keep our heads above water while we wait.
The Real Solution: The JICA Master Plan
Back in 2018, the Philippine government partnered with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to solve our city’s flooding. Instead of just building basic concrete walls (which easily overflow), the Japanese and local engineers designed a massive, city-wide system.
The core of the plan involves digging massive "retarding basins" (giant empty catch-ponds built in the uplands). When a storm hits, millions of gallons of water would flow into these basins and be held there safely, trapping the water before it ever reaches barangays like Ma-a, Matina, and Talomo.
It is brilliant, it is proven, and it is ready. But just look at the timeline of how it got stuck in politics:
Here is the timeline:
April 2019
THE STUDY BEGINS
The Philippine government and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) sign an agreement to create a long-term, multi-basin master plan.
2018-2022
WHY WASN’T IT BUILT UNDER DUTERTE?
A common question is why this wasn't funded during former President Rodrigo Duterte's term. The answer is engineering reality: The Japanese engineers were still studying our rivers. You cannot fund or construct a mega-project when the architects haven't finished the blueprints.
July 2023
THE BLUEPRINT IS FINISHED
JICA officially completes the Master Plan. Instead of basic walls, it proposes ₱41.7 Billion to build massive "retarding basins" (giant empty bowls upstream) to catch and hold storm water before it hits our urban barangays.
AUGUST 9, 2024
VP SARA CALLS OUT THE MISSING BUDGET
Vice President Sara Duterte issues a strong public statement pointing out the lack of government action. She calls out the current administration for refusing to fund the finalized master plan, questioning if the budget is being intentionally withheld simply because the sitting mayor is a Duterte. "Baka naman may alinlangan pa hinggil dito dahil Duterte ang mayor at mas mamarapatin nilang gibain na lang?" she stated.
2025-Present
STILL WAITING FOR FUNDS
Despite the blueprint being ready for over two years, the national government has still not released the funding needed to actually build it.
Bureaucracy or Sabotage?
While politicians debate whether the delay is just "standard government red tape" for a foreign loan or a deliberate political attack to damage the Duterte family, ordinary Davaoeños are the collateral damage.
We are the ones sweeping mud out of our homes. The ultimate solution to our flooding is being treated as a political football.
What is the LGU Doing While We Wait?
The Davao City local government cannot afford a ₱41.7 Billion mega-project on its own. They cannot single-handedly buy multi-hectare lands to build giant retarding ponds without national funding.
However, they are not just sitting around waiting for our government. Without the big blueprint, the LGU is focusing heavily on immediate urban drainage, nature-based mitigation, and survival.
Here is what the city is doing right now:
👉 Aggressive Drainage & Inlet Upgrades: The City Engineer’s Office (CEO) and Task Force Drainage are continuously ripping up flood-prone choke points. In 2025 alone, they funded five new major inlet projects to help water subside faster on critical roads like Diversion Road (fronting Panacan Cemetery), Quezon Boulevard, and Cabantian-Bunawan.
👉 Preventing Blockages: The city’s Ancillary Services Unit (ASU) is conducting aggressive, year-round desilting and garbage clearing of these new drainage systems so the street-level water actually has somewhere to go.
👉 Smart Early Warning Systems: If the LGU cannot completely stop the water, they focus on keeping people alive. Davao City relies heavily on its high-definition river cameras monitoring the Talomo, Matina, and Davao rivers 24/7. This real-time data triggers sirens and preemptive evacuations long before the flood hits living rooms.
👉 Wetlands Protection: The city is pushing for stricter zoning laws to protect remaining natural wetlands and ponding areas from being paved over by commercial developers, allowing nature to absorb some of the rainwater.
According to local environmental groups like the Interface Development Intervention for Sustainability (IDIS), Davao City has lost a staggering 95% of its natural wetlands since 1945 due to rapid, unchecked urban development. Many of today’s worst flood zones used to be natural swamps and marshes that absorbed rainwater.
As an alternative to concrete dams, the LGU can focus on Nature-based Solutions (NbS). This includes legally protecting watersheds, rehabilitating coastal mangroves, and restoring estuarine marshes so the land can naturally absorb water again.
👉 Strict Zoning and Land-Use Laws
One of the strongest powers a Mayor and City Council hold is over local zoning. The city can strictly enforce the High Risk to Flood Overlay Zone in its City Land Use Plan.
By passing laws like the proposed Waterways, Ponding Areas, and Wetlands Protection Ordinance, the LGU can physically ban developers from earth-filling natural catch basins or building subdivisions in historical floodways. If the city can't afford to stop the water, it can at least stop building houses where the water naturally flows.
The LGU is doing what it can with local drainage funds, but street drains cannot stop a mountain flash flood. To truly save our city, we need the giant retarding basins.
The JICA Master Plan is ready. It is time for the national government to prove that public safety matters more than politics, and release the budget.
What do you think, Davaoeños? Is our government intentionally delaying our flood control budget because of politics? Let us know in the comments.
