By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD CITY – Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez announced that three of Bacolod’s five major rivers have been granted PHP 300 million in funding from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for the 2025 budget.
The funding will support the construction of floodgates with pumping stations on the Mandalagan, Lupit, and Magsungay rivers.
“We’re happy to announce that after a year of lobbying with the national government, floodgates will be constructed on three of our major rivers,” Benitez said in a recent media briefing.
Each floodgate will cost PHP 100 million, he added.
Benitez noted that flooding is a major issue affecting not only Bacolod but cities worldwide.
“It is a global concern. We need to control climate change. If we don’t address the issue, considering climate change is the culprit behind increased flooding, we risk missing the point,” the mayor said.
Benitez said he had appealed multiple times to the national government for solutions to flooding through the construction of floodgates and pumping stations.
He noted that Bacolod is the first local government unit in the country to request floodgates and pumping stations.
“The floodgates will prevent seawater from entering, while pumping stations will expel water during high tide,” Benitez explained.
In September 2023, a Dutch company expressed interest in developing solutions for Bacolod’s flooding issues, citing the success of preventive systems implemented in the Netherlands.
Benitez said the city sent engineers and a rescue team to the Netherlands to study effective flood control methods.
“We also invited engineers from the Netherlands to help us understand how to manage the flood situation here,” he added.
The floodgate project will be implemented by the DPWH, with plans to seek additional funding for the two remaining rivers, the Banago and Sum-ag.
Benitez said he would present the floodgate project plan during a stakeholder summit at L’Fisher Hotel in Bacolod on Nov. 22.
