[BizSights] Not all flood management initiatives are unhealthy. Listed here are some we may be pleased with.

Division of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) engineers and contractors engaged in quite a few infrastructure initiatives are the brand new faces of corruption within the Philippines — and deservedly so. 

However there’s an upside to Filipino engineers and their work. Lots of our engineers have helped construct strong infrastructures right here and overseas. Many nations within the Center East, particularly, have lengthy acknowledged the contributions of Filipino professionals — engineers, architects, and different occupations — in constructing their infrastructures.

As an example, on this yr’s award of high engineers and designers within the Center East 2025 by the information publication The Filipino Instances, Philippine Ambassador to Oman Raul Hernandez mentioned: “From groundbreaking designs to engineering feats that form skylines and remodel cities, their work is a supply of delight for our nation, proving that Filipinos’ expertise and experience shine on the worldwide stage.” 

Right here within the Philippines, quite a few conglomerates and their companions have put up flood management initiatives that spotlight the great facet of Philippine infrastructure. They exemplify the talents, abilities, and arduous work of Filipino engineers and designers, proving that beneath the best circumstances, they do job. 

A few of these initiatives hit two birds with one stone: whereas serving its primary goal of controlling floods and saving lives and property, they double as parks that we badly want amid urbanization and local weather change.

Megaworld’s Rainwater Park

Take the case of property and township builder Megaworld. Kevin Tan, government director of Megaworld, not too long ago uploaded a video of a flood management challenge in Megaworld’s 35-hectare township in San Fernando, Pampanga — the 2-hectare Rainwater Park in Capital City. The power can maintain 3.7 million gallons of water equal to six Olympic-size swimming swimming pools.

Tan describes it as an “progressive strategy that manages stormwater, protects surrounding communities, and creates a vibrant hub for leisure and tourism,” and  “due to this, the world round Capital City not experiences flooding.” 

Since its opening on Might 6, 2025, the Rainwater Park, designed by panorama architect Paolo Alcazaren, has change into a well-liked spot for recreation and neighborhood interactions, attracting round 200,000 company month-to-month for Capital City.

Though the video can be meant to assist promote Megaworld’s properties, it additionally provides a way of hope throughout this time of the nation’s worst corruption scandal.

Ayala Land’s Rain Backyard

Equally, the Ayala Group additionally not too long ago highlighted a flood management challenge known as the Rain Backyard in its 46-hectare Vertis North property beside TriNoma in Quezon Metropolis. You may watch it on this video under:

Many are unaware that such a park exists provided that it’s partly hidden from the busy TriNoma mall.

“What appears to be like like a peaceable inexperienced area doubles as a detention pond, designed to handle rainwater, stop flooding, and shield the property from erosion, all of the whereas making a serene view inside the metropolis,” says property developer Ayala Land in a social media submit. 

Ayala Land had deliberately constructed the Rain Backyard as a result of flooding issues within the space. It now additionally serves as a central park which individuals can use for train. 

Burgos Circle, BGC

One other good challenge that’s typically been cited in mild of the flood management scandal is the underground storm water reservoir beneath Burgos Circle in Forbes City, Bonifacio World Metropolis (BGC), Taguig.

This challenge is a 60-meter-diameter reservoir that may maintain 22,000 cubic meters of storm water, serving to maintain BGC flood-free. Burgos Circle is the bottom level in BGC, and the rainwater the ability collects ultimately drains to Manila Bay. On high of the reservoir is a small spherical park with the Instagrammable The Timber sculpture by Reynato Paz Contreras. 

SM Group’s catastrophe preparedness

The Sy household has lengthy been acknowledged for incorporating the issue of flooding of their initiatives. 

Who can overlook how their SM Metropolis Marikina mall survived the catastrophic flooding brought on by Tropical Storm Ondoy (Ketsana) on September 26, 2009? Whereas half of Marikina Metropolis noticed their properties ravaged by flood waters, SM Marikina stood above the catastrophe, turning into a logo of catastrophe preparedness and scientific environmental planning. 

The 6-hectare SM Metropolis Marikina is constructed on high of stilts in an space that had been recognized as high-risk to floods. Property developer SM Prime constructed its Marikina mall farther than the beneficial 90-meter-distance from the Marikina River centerline to cut back the danger of mall harm in case of utmost floods. 

SM Marikina’s decrease parking stage has no wall enclosures, and its floor ground stage was constructed 20.5 meters greater than the utmost flood stage that had been recorded. 

“These options allowed water to movement freely by means of the parking construction whereas the mall space rests on the third ground lifted by the supportive stilts throughout excessive floods,” in accordance with a case research on the challenge. 

The steps taken by mall developer SM Prime on SM Metropolis Marikina’s catastrophe resiliency resulted in avoidance of round P1 billion in losses from enterprise gross sales alone throughout Ondoy. SM Prime says the “further 15% in prices to construct a disaster-resilient mall have been greater than recouped in prevented losses.” 

SM Prime has cited two different case research of disaster-resilient malls: SM Metropolis Masinag in Antipolo Metropolis, Rizal province, and SM Metropolis Cabanatuan in Nueva Ecija province, each of that are in flood-prone places. 

SM Metropolis Cabanatuan’s floor stage parking space serves as a short lived catch basin for water that overflows from a close-by creek. The power can maintain 14 million gallons of flood water. It served its goal throughout Storm Lando on October 18, 2015 when most of Cabanatuan Metropolis received flooded.

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SM Investments instructed Rappler that 30 of its 89 malls have rainwater catchment basins. 

“These huge underground tanks, comparable in dimension to swimming swimming pools, gather and retailer rainwater from the road stage, mitigating flooding in surrounding communities,” SM Supermalls mentioned.

As of January 2025, a complete of 29 SM Supermalls had these catchment basins with a mixed capability of 85,400 cubic meters equal to 34 Olympic-size swimming swimming pools. 

Within the case of SM Metropolis Masinag, its catchment basin collected 8,652 cubic meters of rainwater throughout Storm Carina (Gaemi) in July 2024. 

The city of Masinag is a flood-prone space due to the rainwater that flows towards it from higher Antipolo. SM Metropolis Masinag’s rainwater catch basin has helped resolve flooding in villages such because the close by Vermont Park Government Village.

These initiatives by SM Prime have been cited as fashions of catastrophe danger administration within the United Nations Workplace for Catastrophe Danger Discount ARISE Personal Sector Alliance, the place SM Prime’s Hans Sy has performed an lively function within the worldwide board

Restoring integrity

So, why aren’t the engineering/architectural companies behind these notable flood management initiatives typically not concerned in public works? 

These within the know say the great guys don’t take part in bidding for public works initiatives since they’re conscious they’ve to present bribes with the intention to win. Or, they know the biddings are rigged and thus don’t take part. A number of the massive ones, particularly the businesses which are publicly listed within the Philippine Inventory Change, don’t trouble in any respect because of their good company governance ideas and practices.

How then ought to the Philippines transfer ahead from the flood management scandal? 

Other than all of the steps now being taken on making the unhealthy guys account for his or her misdeeds, one key reform measure that’s wanted however hasn’t been mentioned sufficiently is the right way to inculcate integrity within the DPWH. 

The important thing steps wanted are to professionalize the paperwork, institute meritocracy, take away the affect of politicians in appointments, and inculcate the worth of excellent governance. 

I not too long ago got here throughout an article, “What is occurring to our authorities civil engineers?” by former DPWH engineer Alvin Claridades, who associated his unhappy encounter with an apparently corrupt former colleague within the company. In his piece, he says: 

“If the federal government actually needs to ‘construct higher,’ it should start by rebuilding the morale, integrity, and dignity of its engineers. 

“Our civil engineers should not the issue; they’re a part of the answer. Given the best setting — one which values competence, shields integrity, and enforces accountability — they will as soon as once more change into the vanguards of public belief and technical excellence.

“Infrastructure isn’t merely about concrete and metal — it’s about conscience, competence, and dedication.”

This jogs my memory of what former finance secretary Jesus Estanislao, a powerful advocate of reforms, as soon as mentioned, “My advocacy is nice governance: company governance within the enterprise sector; public governance within the authorities sector; household governance for households; college governance for varsity establishments; and private governance for people. On the finish of the day, it’s governance on the private stage that makes a significant distinction.” – Rappler.com

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