DENR urges strict protocols after Iloilo flood findings

By Jennifer P. Rendon

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)–Region 6 has recommended stricter protocol compliance for future infrastructure projects in Iloilo City following its finding that reclamation and backfilling activities linked to the Access Road Section 1 Project worsened flooding in five Jaro villages in July 2025.

In a letter dated Nov. 11, 2025, DENR-6 Regional Executive Director Raul Lorilla said the proponent must follow proper procedures in coordination with the city, barangay, project proponent, and concerned entities.

He also emphasized the need to define easements before excavation or related works begin, noting that exceeding easement limits “will have a big impact because it could redound in the closure of the river channel.”

The agency further recommended that the Department of Public Works and Highways–Iloilo City District Engineering Office (DPWH-ICDEO), in coordination with the local government unit (LGU), national government agencies (NGAs), and civil society organizations (CSOs), construct slope protection in low-lying or plain areas upon compliance with environmental regulatory requirements such as ECC/CNC and tree-cutting or earth-balling permits.

DENR-6 also urged the Iloilo City LGU and concerned agencies to review and deliberate future developments in the area with reference to topographic and elevation maps.

It added that DPWH must coordinate all waterway-related infrastructure with the DENR-6 and the city government, following the Iloilo River Esplanade template in which cadastral boundaries are delineated first to ensure public easements before construction.

Lorilla likewise recommended the creation of a drainage master plan, which he said should be approached in an integrated manner.

Amid these recommendations, reports surfaced contradicting the viral narrative that Iloilo City was spared from massive flooding following recent typhoons.

Barangays Camalig, Lanit, Balantang, Tagbak, and Buntatala in Jaro district were inundated months earlier, with residents pointing to the Access Road Section 1 Project—more commonly known as the bike lane project—as a contributing factor.

The project, undertaken by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)–Iloilo City District Office, allegedly worsened flooding in villages situated beside Buntatala Creek, which the Mines and Geosciences Bureau classifies as having high to very high flood susceptibility.

The DENR–Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) Region 6 conducted a site validation and investigation at the request of the Iloilo City Government to document project compliance and funding in relation to the flooding incidents.

According to the EMB-6 investigating team, “expansion of built-up areas increased the surface run-off and aggravated flooding.”

It also reported that Buntatala Creek’s water supply comes mainly from surface run-off from nearby farmlands and overflow from National Irrigation Administration canals in Sta. Barbara and Tigum, Pavia, rather than from a defined headwater.

The creek is additionally flanked by titled properties with an earth dike along the waterway, reducing its flow capacity.

The letter cited multiple factors contributing to the flooding: low elevation and inadequate drainage capacity; obstruction of water flow due to vegetation overgrowth and solid waste accumulation; and intense rainfall from successive storms, Crising, Dante, and Emong, as well as the Southwest Monsoon.

On top of these, the DENR said “reclamation and backfilling activities associated with the infrastructure projects constricted the creek’s natural alignment.”

“[A] portion of the construction site of the ongoing Access Road Section 1 (Bike Lane) Project in Brgy. Tagbak was evidently reclaimed, resulting in the narrowing of the creek,” the letter stated, adding that earth-filling activities obstructed natural water flow and caused overflow into access roads and nearby areas.

The City Legal Office maintained that the project did not comply with requirements mandated under Administrative Order No. 2019-4 of the Philippine Reclamation Authority, including feasibility studies, hydrodynamic modeling, and a Final Environmental Impact Statement.

Lorilla said Thursday the findings were validated by affected residents themselves, noting, “They quoted what the people were saying before, that when it rained, there were no floods.”

He reiterated that project proponents must adhere to legal and technical standards to prevent similar incidents.