In line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to intensify flood control efforts nationwide, the Economy and Development (ED) Council Investment Coordination Committee – Cabinet Committee (ICC-CC), chaired by Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto, has approved the adoption of a resolution aggregating flood control and management projects within a single river basin.

“Sisiguraduhin natin na ang perang pinagpaguran ng ating mga kababayan ay tunay na napapakinabangan. Hindi natin hahayaang masayang ang pera ng taumbayan sa mga proyektong sablay o hindi pinag-isipan,” Secretary Recto said.

“Panahon na upang ipakita na ang pamahalaan ay seryoso sa pagpapatupad at seryoso sa pananagutan,” he added.

Approved by the ICC-CC on August 12, 2025, the said resolution was recommended by the Infrastructure Development Committee (InfraCom) Sub-Committee on Water Resources (SCWR) to allow the government to conduct a comprehensive review of the flood management projects and to ensure that these are shovel-ready before their implementation.

The current ICC guidelines only require evaluation of projects above the PHP 2.5 billion threshold. Thus, most of the existing flood control projects, which were treated individually, did not undergo the ICC evaluation process.

This results in disaggregated projects, which do not take into account possible flooding impacts to adjacent communities within a single river basin.

By aggregating flood control and management projects in a single river basin, more of these projects will be subjected to the ICC evaluation, particularly in the aspects of technical, environmental, social, and economic viability, among others.

Consequently, the move will ensure the quality and readiness of flood control projects.

The resolution likewise enables a unified strategy and cohesive flood control efforts to achieve optimum results and long-term sustainability.

Under the resolution, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will be designated as the lead proponent agency in the submission of aggregated projects to ICC.

Following the approval made by the ICC-CC and its endorsement to the InfraCom-CC, the resolution will be elevated for the ED Council’s consideration and final decision.