Bacolod opens 2nd flood summit as Oplan hits 21%

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD CITY — Bacolod pushed forward with its comprehensive flood response on Dec. 10 as it opened the 2nd Bacolod Flood Mitigation Summit led by Lone District Representative Alfredo Albee Benitez.

“This summit is necessary to arrive at real, workable, and future-ready solutions suitable for a thriving and rapidly developing city,” Benitez said.

The event followed more than a month of technical discussions since the first summit was held on Oct. 20 to finalize a long-term master plan to address the city’s chronic flooding.

It also built on the momentum of Oplan Kontra Baha, a citywide clearing and dredging campaign officially launched by Benitez on Dec. 5, despite the postponed visit of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who was initially scheduled to attend.

Benitez clarified that while the official launch was held on Dec. 5, field operations began earlier on Dec. 1 with the deployment of 3,000 River Warriors under the DOLE–TUPAD program.

These teams have since conducted synchronized clearing, dredging, and declogging operations across flood-prone areas in coordination with the Bacolod City Government.

As of the latest progress report, 21% of the city’s declogging and dredging targets have been completed.

The targets include clearing 116.734 kilometers of drainage along national roads and 21.537 kilometers along local roads.

They also include removing 30,785 cubic meters of silt and debris from drainage systems and extracting 2.17 million cubic meters of debris from nine major waterways covering 169.447 kilometers.

These waterways include Banago Creek, Mandalagan River, Mambuloc Creek, Malapya Creek, Lupit River, Magsungay River, Tangub Creek, Pahanocoy Creek, and Sum-ag River.

Benitez explained that massive blockages were caused by debris washed downstream during Typhoon Tino, which intensified flooding when Typhoon Verbena struck.

Clearing operations are expected to continue for four to six months, followed by a second wave in January with another 3,000 River Warriors.

Key solutions under review include vacuum jet cleaning, sustained dredging, the removal of illegal structures, and stricter waste management and sewage regulations.

Private companies, engineering experts, and stakeholders have been invited to submit long-term proposals to be presented at the summit.

Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez expressed full support for the campaign, calling Oplan Kontra Baha a vital step in addressing the city’s long-standing flooding challenges.

“It needs the cooperation of everyone; if not, it will just be a never-ending work,” he said, adding that the city had been conducting its own clearing operations since July.

Benitez emphasized that the flood master plan will consolidate short-, medium-, and long-term interventions drawn from consultations and field data.

“The master plan will be the whole city’s blueprint in solving our long fight with flooding,” he said.

“One of the main reasons why I believe we will eventually succeed is because Bacolodnons love their city and are willing to do what it takes to preserve and protect their heritage and well-being.”

He added that Bacolod aims to become a model for flood resilience that other Philippine cities can replicate.

“Flooding may be a tragic reality of our history and our present, but we should refuse to make it an accepted reality in our future,” Benitez said.