Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso on Monday evening lauded President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s firm stance against corrupt officials and contractors behind failed and substandard flood control projects, saying it echoes the capital city’s own urgent concerns.
Domagoso welcomed the President’s declaration, saying the City of Manila has been appealing to national government agencies to fix non-operational pumping stations—including the Sunog Apog facility—which have worsened flooding in large communities across the city.
“We hope this finally gets the attention it deserves. We’ve done the declogging, we’ve held the line, but we need working infrastructure to keep people safe,” Domagoso said.
Earlier, the Mayor noted that some of the newly-built flood control facilities were “brand new but unusable.”
“But most of the newly built, newly rehabilitated pumping station na pinagawa ng mga kung sino-sino man, eh kung in brand new but not operational, brand new but not usable, brand new but not functioning. So ‘yun ang walang power up,” Domagoso said.
“So ‘yun ang—let’s call it spade a spade—hindi gumana ang pumping station na mga pinagawa. I think ah may mananagot kay Presidente. Dapat may managot kay Presidente. Whether congressman o sino man sila, dapat papanagutin ni Presidente kasi nagsalita na yung Pangulo,” he stressed.
In his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Marcos vowed that those responsible for collapsed, ineffective, or non-existent flood control projects will be charged and held accountable.
President Marcos ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to submit a full list of all projects from the last three years and committed to publicly disclosing the results of a nationwide audit and investigation.
Domagoso said that while MMDA-managed pumping stations are functioning, several new ones built by the DPWH have not been turned over or made operational, undermining flood mitigation efforts.
The Mayor pointed out that the City of Manila takes in floodwaters from neighboring cities, making it urgent to activate these pumping stations.
“Because the water coming from Marikina all the way to QC, kami po ang sasalo po ’nyan. At ang isa sa pinakamalaking ilog namin ay ang Estero de Sunog Apog. For now, baha doon sa area. Malaking community po ’yun. Hopefully, humupa nang maaga ang tubig,” he said.
Domagoso has also called on the national government to invest in long-term solutions by constructing more sewage treatment plants (STPs) across flood-prone districts—not just along Roxas Boulevard.
He stressed that building STPs is not only a practical solution but a legal obligation under the Supreme Court’s continuing mandamus to rehabilitate Manila Bay.
Despite the challenges, Domagoso assured that Manila is doing its part, such as continuous citywide declogging in all 896 barangays and intensified clean-up efforts across the city.
