The Local Government of Quezon City is fast-tracking its own flood control projects as alleged irregularities continue to hound Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) initiatives carried out without coordination with the city.
City Engineer Dale Peral told the Philippine News Agency on Thursday that the city is intensifying inspections of both local and national projects while advancing its Drainage Master Plan, developed in partnership with the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute.
“So far, parang nasa more than a hundred na po kami, yung in-inspect namin na mga project sites ng national government, yung flood control,” Peral said.
The master plan includes two flagship detention basins currently under construction—one in Tandang Sora and another in Palmera Phase 3, Novaliches. Both projects, costing at least ₱30 million, are designed with basketball courts or multipurpose courts on top to double as community spaces.
The Tandang Sora basin, measuring 60m x 60m x 6m, can hold around 21,000 cubic meters of floodwater, while the Novaliches basin can store up to 30,000 cubic meters.
“These basins are lifelines. They are designed not only to capture floodwaters but also to serve as multipurpose community spaces,” Peral emphasized.
The city originally proposed 10 detention basins, but only two are being constructed due to opposition from residents in other sites.
Peral added that proposals for 138 additional flood control projects are also in the pipeline.