LGUs urged to lead fight vs flooding, garbage

By Jordan Domingo

LOCAL Government Units (LGUs) in Bicol, including those in Camarines Sur, are being urged to strengthen their efforts to prevent flooding by keeping garbage out of streets, drainage systems, canals and waterways.

The call from Malacañang comes as the national government intensifies its campaign against flooding and improper waste disposal—issues that remain particularly relevant to communities in Bicol that regularly face flooding during periods of heavy rain.

Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said LGUs must work closely with the national government in implementing an “all-out approach” against flooding and garbage through continuous cleaning of waterways, rivers and drainage systems, stronger solid waste management and long-term flood-control measures.

Recto said the “first line of defense” against flooding and garbage begins in communities.

“We need to widely promote a culture of discipline,” Recto said, warning that improperly discarded garbage eventually returns to communities, particularly when heavy rains cause waterways to overflow.

The message is particularly significant for Naga City and other flood-prone areas of Camarines Sur, where clogged drainage systems and waterways can worsen the impact of heavy rains.

Recto said a recent meeting with key government agencies and LGU representatives showed that the problem is not necessarily a shortage of garbage collection capacity but improper waste disposal.

“Our meeting showed that there is no garbage crisis in Metro Manila, but there is a crisis in improper waste disposal,” he said.

He added that addressing the problem requires a “whole-of-society approach,” involving not only national and local governments but also residents.

For Bicol communities, this means that flood mitigation cannot be viewed solely as a responsibility of agencies implementing flood-control and drainage projects. Proper garbage disposal, waste segregation and keeping waterways clear are equally important in preventing flooding.

Recto said the Marcos administration is studying the possibility of allocating a portion of the National Tax Allotment (NTA) of LGUs for solid waste management projects. The NTA is expected to reach P1.32 trillion in 2027.

The national government is also pursuing a Cleanest Barangay Program that would recognize and provide incentives to barangays that perform well in cleanliness and waste management.

Recto stressed the need to prevent garbage from reaching major waterways in the first place.

He said when canals and streets are used as dumping grounds, garbage can eventually be carried by floodwaters into rivers and larger waterways.

This is a concern that resonates in Bicol, where communities downstream can be affected by waste and debris carried by floodwaters from upstream areas.

The national government will also continue Oplan Kontra Baha, which involves clearing, declogging and desilting canals and waterways.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier announced the construction of new rain-catchment structures, along with additional pumping stations and upgrades to existing facilities, as part of efforts to reduce flooding.

However, Recto emphasized that government infrastructure alone will not solve the problem.

He urged Filipinos to practice proper waste segregation and disposal, noting that waste segregation at source has already been required for more than two decades under Republic Act No. 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

Despite this, implementation remains uneven, with gaps in compliance and waste recovery facilities in various areas.

For LGUs in Bicol, the renewed national directive underscores the importance of combining flood-control projects with stronger enforcement of solid waste management rules and sustained community participation.

As heavy rains can quickly turn improperly discarded garbage into obstructions in drainage systems and waterways, keeping communities clean is not only an environmental concern—it is also a crucial part of flood prevention.