Former Surigao del Norte representative Robert Ace Barbers is pushing for a major overhaul of the country’s flood control planning, calling on the government to require the use of Project NOAH’s scientific hazard maps in the design and approval of future flood mitigation projects.
Barbers said flood control infrastructure should be guided by scientific data rather than politics or outdated topographic information to ensure government funds are spent on areas most vulnerable to flooding.
He proposed making Project NOAH’s digital hazard maps and simulation models mandatory in the planning and budgeting of flood control projects to help identify high-risk communities before construction begins.
“The ultimate metric of a successful infrastructure program is the number of lives and livelihoods kept dry during a storm,” Barbers said.
The former lawmaker cited provincial inspections showing that multimillion-peso dikes had been built in areas with little or no history of severe flooding, while nearby communities and farmlands remained unprotected and continued to suffer extensive flooding during typhoons.
According to Barbers, these findings expose weaknesses in the current planning process and highlight the need for science-based project evaluation.
He also urged Congress to tighten oversight by withholding funding for flood control projects that have not undergone evaluation using Project NOAH’s scientific parameters.
“This measure aims to guarantee that only the most critical ‘red zones’ receive immediate state funding,” he said.
Barbers added that climate change has made flooding more unpredictable, requiring the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to shift from simply responding to disasters toward anticipating them through data-driven planning.
He said Project NOAH’s predictive models can help engineers simulate the effects of heavy rainfall before construction, allowing them to design more effective flood control structures.
Barbers also warned that poorly planned flood mitigation projects ultimately cost taxpayers more, as ineffective infrastructure often leads to expensive emergency response, repairs, and rehabilitation.
