MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. says Metro Manila is getting a major boost to its flood-control system, with 13 pumping-station projects expected to be completed or put in place by the end of 2026 or early 2027 as the capital grapples with increasingly intense rainfall, aging drainage infrastructure and waterways repeatedly clogged by garbage.
Marcos made the announcement Thursday, August 20, after inspecting the Tripa de Gallina Pumping Station in Pasay City, the largest of the 73 pumping stations operated by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.
But the President also acknowledged a problem that simply building stronger pumps may not solve: garbage entering Metro Manila’s drainage network.
According to Marcos, the pumps at Tripa de Gallina were functioning, but accumulated solid waste remains one of the biggest obstacles to keeping floodwater moving efficiently through drainage channels.
The Presidential Communications Office said Marcos inspected the station specifically to assess whether its pumping capacity could cope with the unusually heavy volume of rainfall Metro Manila has been experiencing.
Four New Stations, Nine Upgrades
While Marcos referred to 13 additional pumping stations, MMDA Chairman Romando Artes was reported as clarifying that four will be newly constructed while nine existing facilities will be upgraded.
That distinction is significant because much of Metro Manila’s flood-control infrastructure is already decades old.
The Tripa de Gallina facility itself was built in 1976, according to Malacañang. The Department of Public Works and Highways has been directed to complete upgrades that include replacing aging pumps with higher-capacity, more energy-efficient equipment.
The government also plans to install automated trash rakes, designed to intercept garbage and debris before they clog waterways or interfere with pumping operations.
During Marcos’ inspection, existing trash-rake equipment could be seen collecting solid waste from the estero and moving it along a conveyor system for disposal.
Tripa de Gallina serves as a particularly important part of the capital’s drainage network because it is the largest pumping station among the 73 facilities operated by the MMDA.
Why Garbage Remains a Major Weak Point
Marcos’ warning about garbage comes just days after another inspection of flood-control and waterway-cleaning operations in Pasay and Parañaque.
The Philippine Star earlier reported that Marcos described the country’s garbage problem as “critical” after large volumes of waste accumulated in waterways following days of heavy rain.
Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon went even further, describing the situation as a crisis and saying waterways can become filled with garbage again shortly after government cleaning operations are completed.
That creates a difficult cycle for Metro Manila’s flood-control system.
Even when pumping stations are operational, garbage can block drainage channels carrying water toward the pumps, reducing the amount of floodwater the system can move.
Marcos said Thursday that increasing pumping capacity therefore cannot be treated as a complete solution.
The administration has also been pushing expanded waterway clearing through programs such as Oplan Kontra Baha and Bayanihan sa Estero.
Government Eyes Underground Rainwater Storage
The pumping-station expansion is only one part of a broader flood-control strategy now being studied.
Malacañang said officials have identified 39 priority locations across Metro Manila where underground rainwater-storage facilities or cisterns could potentially be developed.
Areas being studied include parts of Parañaque, Quezon City, San Juan, Navotas, Pasay, Malabon, Las Piñas and Pateros, among others.
Detailed engineering work is expected to be completed within August, according to Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro.
A day earlier, Marcos had said around 30 potential locations were being considered, including areas around Raja Sulayman, the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, Camp Aguinaldo and the University of Santo Tomas. The subsequent Palace briefing cited 39 priority sites, suggesting the list of locations under consideration has expanded or been further refined.
The concept is relatively straightforward: instead of forcing enormous amounts of rainwater immediately through already strained drainage systems, underground reservoirs could temporarily store some of the water during intense downpours.
Marcos also wants officials to examine whether stored rainwater could later be reused rather than simply pumped into Manila Bay, potentially providing water for other purposes during dry periods.
Recent Rainfall Shows the Scale of the Challenge
The government says the latest bout of extreme weather illustrates why Metro Manila’s existing flood-control network is under pressure.
During a situation briefing on August 19, Marcos said about 201 millimeters of rain fell within roughly five hours during the recent monsoon rains—around 44 percent of the rainfall recorded over 24 hours during Tropical Storm Ondoy.
Government estimates placed the recent accumulated rainfall at approximately 201.7 millimeters, which officials compared to almost 50,000 Olympic-size swimming pools of water.
Marcos said all 73 pumping stations being monitored were functioning at the time of the briefing, while 11 mobile pumping units were also being deployed where additional capacity was required.
The administration says dredging, drainage improvements, pumping-station modernization, seawall upgrades and water-storage systems will have to work together if Metro Manila is to become more resilient against increasingly intense rainfall.
For residents who continue to see streets disappear under floodwater every rainy season, however, the real test will not be how many projects are announced.
It will be whether the new pumps, upgraded drainage systems, underground reservoirs and garbage-control programs can keep working when the next extreme downpour arrives.
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