The Philippines, like Japan, is known as a “disaster-prone” country, and JICA has been working with the Philippine government for about 50 years on flood countermeasures in the country. Mr. Ramon Arriola III, Director of the Flood Control Division of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and Mr. Eiji Otsuki, JICA’s international cooperation specialist in water-related disaster management, who have long been involved in this transnational challenge, talk about Japan’s technical and human resource development support that has improved the Philippines’ flood control measures, the Philippine government’s changing awareness of disaster management budgets, and the Philippines’ response to accelerating climate change. We also asked them about Japan’s technological and human resource development assistance that has improved flood countermeasures in the Philippines, changes in the Philippine government’s awareness of its disaster reduction budget, and its response to accelerating climate change.
Japan and the Philippines, with many geographical similarities, are ideal partners.
Manila, the capital of the Philippines, is the country’s political and economic center, and while its population has grown rapidly from 10 million in 2000 to 14 million today, it has often suffered serious damage from frequent typhoons that have not kept pace with water-related disasters.
In addition to population growth, annual rainfall in Metro Manila has been increasing, and the risk of disasters due to flooding has been rising year by year. To reduce damage and prevent paralysis of urban functions, JICA has been supporting flood control measures for the Pasig-Marikina River, which flows through the center of the metropolitan area, for more than 30 years.
Revetment constructed by the Passig-Marikina River Rehabilitation Project (Phase II)
— You two have been involved in flood control projects jointly undertaken by Japan and the Philippines for many years. What is your view of Japanese technology and the way projects are carried out?
Ariola Japan has supported the Philippine government’s flood control planning and capacity building since the 1970s. The first Japanese yen loan for infrastructure development was the “Manila District Flood Control and Drainage Project” in 1973, followed by the construction of the Mangahan Spillway to divert floodwaters of the Marikina River to Lake Laguna in the 1980s, and the expansion of cooperation to the rehabilitation of the Passig-Marikina River starting in 1999.
Japan was the Philippines’ first and, until recently, only partner country in water resources and disaster risk management. I found Japanese technology, especially the innovations in the field of flood control that the consultants had, to be impressive and very dependable.
Director Arriola (center) discusses with a Japanese consultant at City Hall in Parañaque, Metro Manila.
Otsuki: Japan shares similarities with the Philippines in terms of topography and land use, with about 75% of the country’s land area being mountainous and about half of the population living on flood plains along rivers. Both countries are also similar in that they have experienced various natural disasters such as tropical typhoons, torrential rains, storm surges, earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic disasters. Among them, large-scale floods caused by typhoons and torrential rains occur every year, and how to reduce the repeated and serious damage in large cities along rivers has become an important issue in national and regional development policies.
Japan has longstanding knowledge based on scientific flood risk assessment, and we believe that this knowledge can contribute to flood risk reduction in the Philippines, which has much in common.
Mr. Otsuki has worked closely with DPWH as a flood control expert.
Figures show the results of disaster risk reduction through technical and human resource cooperation
— How much damage from typhoons has actually been reduced by DPWH and JICA flood control projects?
Ariola There is an updated analysis of the effectiveness of flood control projects conducted by JICA based on data from actual floods. For example, after the completion of Phase II and Phase III of the Mangahan Spillway and Passig-Marikina River Rehabilitation Project, we were able to see a significant effect in the case of Typhoon Ulysses, which hit in November 2020. According to our analysis, it was a “once in a century” flood, and if the spillway and river rehabilitation had not been in place, the estimated damage would have amounted to about $1.3 billion. However, the actual damage was only about $200 million, an improvement of more than 80%. The actual number of victims was about 30,000, compared to about 1 million in the case of the unimproved system.
Rosary weir, the intake of the Mangghan Spillway
Monitoring station with flood control equipment operation system (EFCOS)
Otsuki: In 1990, JICA formulated a master plan to prevent the repeated and extensive flood damage in Metro Manila caused by the overflowing of the Passig-Marikina River. The plan aimed to reduce peak flows during floods through three major measures: storage by dams and other means upstream, water conveyance to Laguna Lake in the middle part of the river, and improvement of the channel flow capacity in the downstream part.
Technical perspectives are extremely important to steadily improve the level of flood control safety throughout the implementation period of yen loan projects and technical cooperation projects. In this sense, I am very grateful for the enthusiasm and contributions of the DPWH engineers based on their knowledge and skills.
Joint inspection by JICA experts and DPWH project managers
Some of the engineers of the Arriola DPWH received training at the Flood Control and Sediment Control Engineering Center (FCSEC), which was established in 1999 with the support of JICA. Through the FCSEC, various guidelines and technical manuals were developed for flood project planning, operation, and maintenance, as well as training for DPWH personnel, and the establishment of a database and preliminary survey of damage conditions. These manuals are the result of the Flood Control and Erosion Control Technical Capacity Enhancement Project conducted through FCSEC, and have since become the basis for guidelines and standards for project planning in the Philippines.
The Hydraulic Laboratory, a component of the FCSEC, has also made a significant contribution to the study of hydraulic phenomena during floods*1, and its contributions have led to the development of technical manuals and guidelines for the construction and maintenance of flood control structures, which are now used in training DPWH engineers throughout the Philippines.
- 1 Hydraulic phenomena are phenomena related to water, i.e., how water flows or moves. The study of hydraulic phenomena examines the characteristics of water movement and pressure in rivers and drainage systems during floods by analyzing water velocity, flow rate, water level, behavior, etc.
Disaster preparedness is an “investment” in the future.
— How has Japan’s approach to disaster reduction efforts as an investment in the future, rather than a cost, affected the Philippines and other disaster-prone countries?
Ariola I believe that the Philippines’ approach to disaster management is definitely changing. The government has significantly increased the national flood control budget over the past 12 years, from about 11.3 billion Philippine pesos (about US$200 million) in 2011 to 185.8 billion pesos (about US$3.4 billion). Climate change will have a significant impact on agriculture, a major industry in the Philippines, and the government is committed to taking action.
Otsuki: “Cost” sounds negative, but it is very important for a country to ensure sustainable development. Among the various natural disasters, water-related disasters have particularly serious consequences, so taking countermeasures against them is not a “cost” at all, but an “investment” for future development. This concept is now shared not only in the Philippines but also in other Southeast Asian countries with heavy rainfall belts.
Japan has highly developed urban areas on flood plains and has achieved economic growth while confronting natural disasters, especially floods and other water-related disasters. Based on this experience, JICA has undertaken a number of disaster preparedness projects with the strong conviction that investing in and installing more resilient infrastructure will protect cities and people from fatal and socioeconomic damage, and has achieved remarkable results in many countries, including the Philippines.
Accelerating Climate Change and How to Prepare for Its Disaster Risks
— How is the idea of “Build Back Better” that Japan has long advocated after disasters now spreading around the world?
Otsuki: In general, rapidly developing countries are facing increased disaster risks due to uncontrolled urban development without adequate disaster prevention plans and measures. To protect sustainable development from such risks, it is essential to build a “Build Back Better” philosophy and a society that is resilient to disasters. Climate change is likely to increase the frequency and scale of extreme weather events in the future, and there is concern that the impact of disasters will become even greater.
Ariola: The Philippine government recently changed the name of its infrastructure investment policy to “Build Better More” based on Japanese principles. BBM” is also an acronym for “Bongbong Marcos,” the nickname of our President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The Philippines has a long-term vision called AmBisyon Natin 2040 (Our Ambition 2040), which was developed by the National Economic Development Authority in 2015. Even at the beginning of this vision, the goal is stated that by 2040, Filipinos will be firmly rooted in the country and enjoy a comfortable and secure lifestyle.
Cooperation between JICA and DPWH continues to protect the lives and livelihoods of local residents.
In order to achieve the goals of AmBisyon, my organization will be strongly promoting flood control in 18 major river basins. This is a big challenge and we need to make sure that citizens understand that addressing the impacts of climate change on the natural environment will require a significant budget. In this regard, the Philippines hopes to maintain its deep ties with JICA and promote more technical cooperation.
Otsuki: The Philippines and Japan share the common challenge of severe natural disasters, and I believe that Japan’s experience will continue to be useful in reducing water-related disasters in the Philippines. Furthermore, I believe it is important for us to work together as partner countries to develop and introduce technologies for the development, renewal, operation, and maintenance of more advanced facilities to prepare for the uncertainties of future climate change impacts.
We also hope that the Philippines will share its excellent efforts and knowledge with other developing countries so that they can build a strong foundation to protect people’s lives.
— Climate change is advancing faster than expected, how will you respond?
Otsuki: I think we need some options to extend flood control measures, such as increasing the capacity of upstream reservoirs or building water storage facilities in urban areas. It is also important to have coordination among organizations that do urban and infrastructure planning. A cross-sectoral system is essential to protect each city and highway, as well as hospitals, from flooding.
The rainfall observatory of the Philippine Atmospheric and Geophysical Observatory in the Clark Special Economic Zone, Pampanga, in central Ariola Luzon, has observed more than 10 times the amount and intensity of rainfall compared to 10 years ago. 2023 typhoons Falcon (Kanung) and Egay (Toksuri) inundated approximately 60-70% of Pampanga and Bulacan provinces Approximately 60-70% of the Philippines will be inundated, and design standards for flood control in the Philippines, especially for urban drainage, must be reviewed. Conventional drainage systems are designed for 5- to 10-year probability floods, but will need to be redesigned for 50-year probability floods to cope with the effects of future climate change. To supplement the resources of the Philippine government, we will continue to focus on improving flood control measures in cooperation with Japan and with technical assistance from JICA.
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