Thank you, Secretary Manny Bonoan for your introduction.

[Please take your seats.]

With us today is the House Speaker, Speaker Martin Romualdez; of course, His Excellency, the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Philippines, His Excellency Lee Sang-hwa; Pampanga Fourth District Representative Anna York Bondoc who is the — whose district is the beneficiary of this very important and very extensive, large project for flood control; Patrol Party List Representative Jorge Bustos; Pampanga Provincial Governor Dennis [Pineda] has also joined us; Masantol Municipal Mayor Jose Antonio Bustos; and all the other local chief executives and local officials present; my fellow workers in government; ladies and gentlemen, magandang umaga po sa inyong lahat. [applause]

It is with great pleasure that I join you here today to inaugurate the Integrated Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation Project – Stage 1 — a project made possible with the help from our friends in the Korean Government and as a response to the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in June 1991, that  spewed massive amounts of volcanic ash that covered vast swaths of the province of Pampanga.

This led to heavy siltation along the streams, rivers, all the waterways, decreasing the discharge capacities and causing heavy flooding during the rainy season, especially in the low-lying municipalities of Macabebe, Masantol, Minalin, and Sto. Tomas.

The province has also suffered perennial loss of [lives] and damage to properties due to heavy flooding. So, it had to be addressed through the construction of these flood control structures.

In response, the Philippine government, with the technical and financial assistance [from] the Korean Government, developed a study which became the foundation for the construction of structural measures that we now have the privilege to inaugurate.

The IDRR-CCA 1 costs more than 7 billion pesos and it aims to mitigate flood damage by increasing the discharge capacity of the Third River, the Eastern Branch River, the Sapang Maragul River, and the Caduang Tete River.

To fully realize the project’s benefits and provide long-term solutions to flooding here in Pampanga, I am now instructing the Department of Public Works and Highways to ensure of the [Stage 2 of the] IDRR-CCA will be proceeding as scheduled. [applause]

I have the assurance, as we were looking at the floodgates and the technical explanation of what this is, the Ambassador assures me that the planning and the technical examination for Stage 2 has already begun. Maraming, maraming salamat po. [applause]

Once it is fully completed, the IDRR-CCA will reduce the flood level and flood duration from [66] days to 17 days in the municipalities of Macabebe, Masantol, Minalin, and Sto. Tomas. [applause]

We are very optimistic that this will redound to improving the people’s lives by enhancing the disaster resilience of all our communities.

The DPWH has also completed several other flood control projects here in Region III. Among these is the construction of a flood control structure at the Pampanga River in Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija. The flood control structure costs around 85 million pesos [and] was completed last May [2024].

Another completed project is the rehabilitation of the eroded bank of the Pampanga River at Candating, Arayat, and that project costs [more than] 91 million pesos [and] was completed in October of last year.

So, let me assure all that the government, through the Public Works, will expeditiously complete the ongoing flood control projects here in Region III.

However, this is only half of the solution. Flood control projects are meant to help minimize the effects of flooding and they will help in reducing the size of the area affected, decreasing the height of the flood, and shortening the time for flooding to subside.

With climate change and with the effects — increasing overpopulation, we expect that we will experience more and more of these historic flooding events. For flood control to work, we must do our part in maintaining our canals and waterways, and in recycling and properly disposing of our garbage.

Rest assured that this government is working and doing all it can to pursue initiatives and programs to protect our citizens and the environment, to innovate [on] current trends in disaster risk reduction and management, as well as to ensure heightened climate responsibility and justice.

But our local government units and our citizens also have an extremely important role to play.

At this juncture, let me once again thank our friends from the Korean Government for their help in completing this important Stage 1 of the IDRR-CCA project.

Let us continue to explore other areas of cooperation that will uplift both our countries and the lives of our people.

Let me extend also my gratitude to the officials and the people of the province of Pampanga whose solidarity and collaboration has resulted in the successful completion of the IDRR-CCA 1.

I also acknowledge the efforts of the Department of Public Works and Highways, and everyone who has worked on the completion of this grand project.

It demonstrates the government’s commitment to delivering quality, safe, and [environment-friendly] infrastructure to all Filipinos.

Thank you, and let this occasion mark the beginning of a new era of sustainable progress for Pampanga and for the Philippines.

Mabuhay po kayong lahat. Maraming salamat po. Mabuhay ang Bagong Pilipinas!

Dakal a salamat! [applause] 

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