San Miguel Corporation (SMC) President and CEO Ramon S. Ang on Friday, August 8, unveiled his bold, multi-pronged solution to address Metro Manila’s persistent flooding at no cost to the government—starting with unblocking the Tullahan River and removing roads, houses, and schools that were illegally built over natural drainage systems.
Speaking during a joint press conference with MMDA Chairman Romando Artes and Metro Manila Mayors, Ang revealed that his team, using drone and helicopter surveillance, discovered that over one kilometer of the Tullahan River—the main drainage outlet for Quezon City, Valenzuela, Navotas, Malabon, and Obando—had been covered and obstructed.
This blockage, he said, severely restricts water flow from La Mesa Dam to Manila Bay, especially during storms.
“The solution is simple: tanggalin ang mga bara. Buksan uli ang Tullahan River,” Ang said. He emphasized that no flood mitigation program will work if the primary outflow channels remain blocked.
According to him, even fully functioning city drainage pipes are rendered useless if the rivers they empty into are choked by concrete roads, housing, or other structures.
To fix this, Ang proposed the removal of these illegal obstructions and committed that San Miguel Corporation would shoulder the full cost—without passing it on to the government or the public.
“Tatayo ako ng kapalit na eskwela. Pati housing, bibili na ako ng lupa para tayuan ng pabahay ng mga tao doon,” he said, referring to schools and homes found built on top of the river. “San Miguel will do it at no cost to the government.”
Ang also called for an evidence-based approach to flood control, noting that not all popular solutions are grounded in science. He dismissed the idea of turning roads into massive water storage areas, calling it impractical.
“Can you imagine, babasagin mo ang mga sementadong kalsada para lang gawing water storage? Kalokohan ‘yon,” he said. Instead, he pointed to elevation and natural geological features—like BGC’s higher terrain and sinkholes—as more logical factors behind flood prevention.
The business executive underscored the need to upgrade drainage capacities. In Commonwealth Avenue, for example, his teams found a 12-inch drainage pipe clogged by debris after the construction of the MRT-7 was blamed for the flooding.
“Eh ‘di linisin, palitan ng mas malaki,” he said, noting that drainage infrastructure must be reengineered and expanded to accommodate modern rainfall volumes.
“Kapag may problema, huwag na tayong magturuan,” Ang said.
