Para±aque city: Just days after twin typhoons Tino (international name Kalmaegi) and Uwan (international name Fung-wong) battered and flooded the country, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday launched a metro-wide flood control campaign that he vowed to sustain year-round and expand nationwide.

According to Philippines News Agency, the initiative, dubbed ‘Oplan Kontra Baha,’ brings together national agencies, local government units (LGUs), and private sector partners to clear and clean rivers, creeks, and drainage systems across Metro Manila. These areas have long been clogged with garbage and debris, exacerbating flooding during storms.

‘We will continue to do this, first part of the Oplan, until June to July of next year. Even after those nine months, patuloy lang (it will go on). Regular na ang paglinis. Hindi natin pwedeng tigilan ito (Cleaning will be regular. We cannot stop),’ Marcos said after overseeing clearing operations at Balihatar Creek in Para±aque City.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and partner LGUs will oversee the operations covering 142.4 km of rivers, creeks, and esteros, and 333.15 km of drainage systems throughout the capital region.

Marcos said the DPWH has already included the Oplan in its Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) to ensure that waterway clearing becomes a permanent, all-year-round program.

Simultaneous cleanups were also conducted in Valenzuela, Tondo, San Juan, and Las Pi±as, highlighting what Marcos called the need for ‘whole-of-government and whole-of-nation’ cooperation.

The initiative was joined by DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon, Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez, MMDA Chairperson Romando Artes, and business leaders Ramon S. Ang of San Miguel Corp. and Manuel V. Pangilinan of Metro Pacific Investments Corp.

San Miguel’s Ramon Ang, who earlier committed to help address Metro Manila’s perennial flooding, was among the first to push for the coordinated clean-up drive, which Marcos said will soon be replicated in other flood-prone areas such as Cebu, Bacolod, Roxas City, Bulacan, and Pampanga.