MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is pushing for the completion of 13 pumping stations in and around Metro Manila as the government races to strengthen the capital region’s defenses against worsening floods—but officials acknowledge that pumps alone will not solve a decades-old problem involving outdated drainage, clogged waterways, garbage and increasingly intense rainfall.
Marcos said Thursday that the pumping stations are expected to be completed as part of the government’s continuing flood-mitigation campaign, while his administration is also pursuing waste-to-energy projects aimed at confronting another major problem repeatedly linked to urban flooding: garbage. ABS-CBN News reported the announcement on August 20, while the Manila Times separately reported that the 13 stations are targeted for completion to help reduce flooding across Metro Manila.
The announcement comes after another round of heavy monsoon rains inundated portions of Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon, once again exposing weaknesses in drainage systems that government officials say cannot be repaired through a single type of infrastructure.
Flood Control Is Moving Beyond Pumping Stations
Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said President Marcos has ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways to pursue a more “holistic” approach to flooding.
That strategy includes rehabilitating pumping stations, improving drainage networks, constructing detention basins, clearing waterways and ensuring that new flood-control projects are coordinated with local governments.
Dizon acknowledged this week that recent government interventions have produced improvements in some areas, but said they remain insufficient.
In Camanava—the flood-prone cluster comprising Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela—officials said repairs to pumping stations and a navigational gate have contributed to lower flood levels or faster recession of floodwaters during recent rains.
But the government is now looking at projects designed to stop huge volumes of rainwater from overwhelming drainage systems in the first place.
Among them is a planned underground detention basin at Plaza Rajah Sulayman near Malate Church in Manila.
Dizon said the facility would hold roughly 3 million liters of water temporarily before it is discharged toward Manila Bay. Construction is expected to begin after the heavy-rain period, with completion targeted within four to six months.
A similar detention facility is also being explored in Parañaque.
España’s Aging Drainage System Is Also Being Targeted
The DPWH is also preparing a drainage project along España Boulevard, one of Manila’s most notorious flooding hotspots.
Dizon said the existing drainage system serving the area is more than 50 years old and has never been fully replaced. Initial work is expected to begin in September, while wider improvements are being considered under the proposed 2027 national budget.
DPWH has also ordered engineers to redesign drainage inlets along major roads.
According to Dizon, some drainage lines may have already been upgraded, but the openings allowing rainwater to enter them remain too small. Garbage can reduce their capacity even further, slowing drainage during intense downpours.
That detail highlights one of the biggest obstacles facing the government’s multibillion-peso flood-control campaign.
The Garbage Problem Can Cripple Even Working Pumps
Pumping stations are designed to move enormous quantities of stormwater out of low-lying communities. But they depend on waterways and drainage channels remaining relatively clear.
Trash can drastically reduce their effectiveness.
The MMDA previously reported collecting more than 526 tons of garbage from Metro Manila’s 71 pumping stations over just several days, with waste ranging from plastics to furniture, refrigerators, tires and fallen tree trunks. Officials warned that debris sucked into pumps can cause overheating or damage equipment.
Tripa de Gallina in Pasay illustrates the scale of the problem.
The decades-old pumping station serves a catchment area of roughly 1,769 hectares and has a designed total pumping capacity of about 57 cubic meters per second, according to flood-management project documents. Yet the waterways feeding the station are also vulnerable to significant garbage accumulation.
That makes maintaining pumps only half of the battle.
Without regular dredging, declogging and proper solid-waste management, even expensive pumping facilities can lose much of their effectiveness during extreme rainfall.
Marcos Revives Waste-to-Energy Push
The administration is therefore linking flood mitigation with its broader campaign against solid waste.
Earlier this month, Marcos said the government would pursue waste-to-energy projects that could process garbage while simultaneously generating electricity.
The President raised the proposal after inspecting waterways filled with garbage following Tropical Storm Maymay and enhanced southwest monsoon rains.
According to the Philippine Information Agency, Marcos said floodwaters had transported waste into canals where it accumulated, with high tides further restricting the movement of water.
Waste-to-energy technology is intended to reduce the amount of residual waste requiring disposal while producing usable energy.
However, its role in preventing floods remains part of a broader policy debate. Waste-to-energy facilities would address portions of the solid-waste stream, but they would not replace functioning drainage, river management, watershed protection, pumping stations and effective garbage collection.
Government Says There Is No Overnight Solution
The latest push follows Marcos’ directive for agencies to accelerate what officials describe as a coordinated national response to flooding.
Dizon has cautioned that the problem cannot realistically be solved overnight.
Heavy rains from the southwest monsoon and successive weather disturbances have repeatedly flooded parts of Luzon this August, testing drainage systems throughout Metro Manila.
The DPWH is consequently revisiting several long-discussed projects, including possible water-impounding facilities in Quezon City and Manila.
Officials are examining potential detention or impounding sites at Camp Aguinaldo, Liwasang Bonifacio, Plaza Rajah Sulayman and Bustillos Market, among other locations.
The government is also studying measures farther outside the capital, including dikes and seawalls in coastal areas such as Hagonoy and Paombong in Bulacan, where Manila Bay and high tides can aggravate flooding.
The Bigger Test Comes With the Next Major Downpour
The proposed 13 pumping stations could add another layer of protection for communities that repeatedly find themselves underwater.
But the government’s own assessments suggest the real test will not simply be how many pumping stations are built.
It will be whether those pumps are connected to drainage systems capable of carrying the water, whether waterways stay clear of garbage, whether aging infrastructure is replaced, whether projects follow coherent local drainage plans—and whether the entire system can cope with increasingly intense rainfall.
The administration has already argued that clearing waterways, improving drainage and maintaining pumping stations could substantially reduce flooding.
Marcos launched the wider Oplan Kontra Baha campaign in late 2025, involving waterway clearing, desilting and pumping-station management. At the time, he said experts estimated that restoring drainage and waterways to their proper carrying capacity could significantly reduce flash flooding in Metro Manila.
Nearly a year later, the challenge is becoming clearer.
Metro Manila does not suffer from just one flood problem—and therefore cannot rely on just one solution.
The 13 pumping stations may become an important part of the capital’s defenses.
But when the next extreme downpour arrives, Filipinos will be watching to see whether those pumps are finally working as part of one functioning system—or simply fighting against more water than Metro Manila’s aging infrastructure can handle.
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