24/07/2025
🚨 Why Metro Manila Keeps Flooding🏙️
"Mind of an Urban Planner by Architect Jun Palafox"
It’s not just the rain. Renowned urban planner Felino “Jun” Palafox says Metro Manila is sinking in its own problems—from half-built infrastructure (hello, missing Parañaque Spillway 👀), to outdated urban planning, clogged waterways, and weak governance.
✅ His long-term fixes?
💡 Flood tunnels like Kuala Lumpur’s SMART
💡 The long-overdue spillway to drain Laguna Lake
💡 Elevated, flood-resilient structures
💡 Strict waterway zoning and hazard mapping
💡 Rainwater harvesting systems
💡 And building new, well-planned cities beyond Metro Manila
It’s time to shift from reaction to prevention. Floods aren't just natural—they’re man-made too.
🌊 Causes of Flooding in Metro Manila (Per Jun Palafox)
Incomplete MMETROPLAN system: The Metro Manila master plan from the 1970s included the Manggahan Floodway and a Parañaque Spillway, but only the floodway was built. Without the spillway, Laguna de Bay overflows instead of draining to Manila Bay, especially during major storms like Ondoy
Outdated, car-centric planning: Palafox has repeatedly criticized the 1970s car-first model that turned Metro Manila into a “tub without a drain,” lacking integrated drainage, walkability, and resilient infrastructure
Philstar
Siltation and blocked waterways: Laguna Lake’s depth dropped dramatically due to sediment from Marikina River. Thousands of informal settlers and illegal structures block esteros, increasing flood risk
Poor solid waste management & weak governance: Frequent clogging of drains, inconsistent policy, procurement delays, theft, and maintenance neglect cripple flood resilience efforts
🔧 Palafox’s Flood Mitigation Proposals
1. Parañaque Spillway (Laguna de Bay → Manila Bay)
A long-pending component of the 1970s plan that was shelved due to funding and right-of-way issues: build the spillway to finally give Laguna Lake a proper outlet to Manila Bay during heavy inflows
2. SMART Tunnel–type stormwater infrastructure
He recommends building a Kuala Lumpur‑style underground flood tunnel (Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel), to divert excess rainwater and reduce flash floods in the city center
3. Adaptive Architecture & Elevated Urban Design
Palafox proposes adaptive building solutions—elevated walkways, sky bridges, floating homes, and cities on stilts. These let people move safely during floods and keep ground-level structures flood-resistant. Examples include plans for San Juan and Navotas
4. Waterway Reclamation, Dredging & Easement Enforcement
He calls for reforestation, enforcing easements, clearing silt and pollution from rivers and lakes, and relocating settlements that obstruct water flow
5. Flood Zoning & Hazard Mapping
Establish 100-year flood lines to regulate construction height and prohibiting development in flood-prone zones. This includes public flood maps and elevation zoning for safer planning
6. Rainwater Harvesting & Retention Systems
Advocate rainwater capture under school courts or plazas to reduce runoff and supplement supply—modeled after systems in Fort Bonifacio and Singapore
7. Long-Term Governance & Polycentric Urban Planning
He urges the government to implement long-term, non-partisan plans, public–private partnerships, and to shift population growth into new cities—envisioning 100 resilient cities by 2050—as a way to decongest Metro Manila and bolster resilience
8. Strategic Land Reclamation & Lakeshore D**e Projects
Palafox also favors carefully planned reclamation and d**e systems around Laguna Lake (e.g. road‐ring d**e or expressway‐d**e) to prevent lake overflow, though raising environmental concerns that he insists be addressed properly
📋 Summary Table of Palafox’s Proposals
Problem Identified Proposal / Solution
Flood overflow via Pasig River & Lakes Manggahan Floodway + Parañaque spillway
Insufficient drainage infrastructure SMART tunnel flood bypass
People stranded in floods Elevated walkways, adaptive architecture like floating homes
Waterway sedimentation & blockage Dredging, enforcing easements, removing informal settlers
Unregulated land use in flood-prone zones Flood zoning, hazard mapping, building elevation limits
Excess stormwater runoff Rainwater harvesting and retention cisterns
Fragmented governance & political disruption Long-term, institutionally stable urban plans, polycentric model
🧭 Call to Government
Palafox has repeatedly forwarded his recommendations across multiple administrations—from Ferdinand Marcos to Gloria Macapagal‑Arroyo, Noynoy Aquino, and more recently under current leadership—but only a few have been implemented (e.g. hazard mapping). He emphasizes:
Urgent ex*****on of spillway and flood tunnels without further delay
Establishing integrated multi-sector urban planning, beyond car-centric models
Strengthening governance—including continuous vision, integrity, and use of expert planners—and ensuring project continuity across political terms
Encouraging public–private collaboration to support infrastructure, planning and maintenance efforts
In short: Palafox diagnoses Metro Manila’s flooding as a result of outdated planning, half-measures (only building the floodway but not the spillway), clogged waterways, and poor governance. His solutions are comprehensive—spanning hard infrastructure like tunnels and spillways, softer landscape and adaptive design, smart zoning and rainwater capture, and reform of institutional processes.
