3,000 river warriors begin Bacolod cleanup under flood plan

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD CITY — Some 3,000 river warriors will begin clearing Bacolod’s waterways today, Nov. 27, marking the first large-scale deployment under ‘Oplan Kontra Baha’, a multi-agency initiative to address persistent flooding in the city.

Bacolod City lone district Rep. Albee Benitez announced the start of the operations on Thursday, noting that while the official launch has been moved to Dec. 5 due to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s scheduling conflict, implementation will start as planned.

“Everything is ready; it’s just a matter of execution. Some components will already begin even before the President arrives,” Benitez said during the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)–LGU Alignment Meeting held at the Bacolod City Government Center.

Benitez was joined by DPWH Undersecretary Charles Calima, Mayor Greg Gasataya, Vice Mayor Kalaw Puentevella, Councilors Homer Bais and Thaddy Sayson, and DPWH District Engineer Lea Jamero.

The river warriors, funded under the Department of Labor and Employment’s TUPAD program, will work for 10 days at minimum wage and be provided with equipment.

Their activities will be led by the City Engineer’s Office to ensure coordination.

“They will start clearing the waterways as our immediate response to flooding,” Benitez said, adding that the private sector will assist by providing additional equipment.

The congressman stressed the importance of immediate interventions while longer-term solutions are prepared.

These include the repair and rehabilitation of damaged flood-control infrastructure — now being consolidated by the DPWH — and the city’s long-term flood-mitigation plan.

Benitez said the long-term plan will be proposed for funding in the 2027 national budget after all flood-control allocations for 2026 were removed.

He also emphasized the role of public input, saying, “We will address these one by one. Once we finish desilting and clearing, the flooding will lessen — or may even disappear — as we gain a clearer understanding of the major causes.”

Among the main drivers of flooding, Benitez cited siltation, improper waste disposal, and clogged drainage.

Mayor Gasataya welcomed the initiative, highlighting the city’s ongoing mitigation efforts since July.

“We’ve been working along the same direction since July to address flooding for the welfare of Bacolodnons,” he said.

DPWH Undersecretary Calima formally rolled out the agency’s comprehensive Oplan Kontra Baha strategy during the meeting, identifying four major challenges: clogged drainage, silted waterways, infrastructure blockages, and poor waste management.

To address these issues, the DPWH will deploy vacuum sewer jet cleaners and personnel to remove debris from storm drains and canals.

For silted rivers and creeks, the agency will conduct regular dredging and systematic clearing to restore natural water flow.

The program also calls for the removal of illegal and obstructive structures in waterways and intensified efforts to eliminate waste buildup that narrows channels and impedes water movement.

On waste management, the DPWH proposed stricter enforcement by the city government, with recommendations including consistent garbage collection and requiring businesses to connect to sewage treatment facilities before discharging wastewater into public waterways.