To bolster flood defenses and expand the capital region’s capacity during heavy downpours, the Marcos administration is advancing plans to construct P4.05 billion worth of rainwater impounding facilities across five strategic locations in Metro Manila.
Acting Executive Secretary Ralph Recto disclosed that the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) presented the infrastructure proposal during a Malacañang meeting on September 17. Following the presentation, MMDA Chairman Romando Artes submitted documentation for four of the five proposed sites to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., routed through the Office of the Executive Secretary and the Department of Budget and Management.
Funding for the five projects will be sourced from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management–Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Assistance Program, with supplementary international backing. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has pledged up to $200 million for the initiative, supported by counterpart funding from the Philippine government.
The planned facilities are designed to hold a total capacity of 107,600 cubic meters of rainwater across five key urban sites:
Camp Aguinaldo (Quezon City): 172-hectare catchment area storing up to 50,000 cubic meters.
Miriam College (Quezon City): 170-hectare catchment area storing up to 30,000 cubic meters.
Remedios Circle (Manila): 94-hectare catchment area storing up to 10,000 cubic meters.
Rajah Sulayman Park (Manila): 94-hectare catchment area storing up to 8,000 cubic meters.
ASEAN Garden, CCP Complex (Vito Cruz): 60-hectare catchment area storing up to 9,600 cubic meters.
“These impounding facilities will give Metro Manila additional capacity to catch and temporarily store large volumes of rainwater instead of allowing them to immediately overwhelm our drainage systems and flood our communities,” Recto said.
“When completed, these projects will help protect homes, schools, businesses and public infrastructure, especially during heavy rainfall and high tide,” Recto added, noting that this type of flood management infrastructure reflects the long-term legacy President Marcos intends to establish.
These five structures represent an initial phase under the MMDA’s broader “Sponge City” initiative, which envisions 39 catchment locations across the metropolis. Construction on the initial five projects is targeted to begin in the first half of 2027, with completion expected before the end of that year.