Environmental group Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS) expressed grave concerns about the worsening floods in Davao City and across the country.
In a statement released on Wednesday, IDIS said that despite billions spent annually on flood control, communities continue to suffer.
The group called on government agencies and legislators to adopt more sustainable, long-term measures to address what it sees as a growing national crisis.
IDIS urged the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), local governments, and legislators to provide full public disclosure on the status and effectiveness of flood control projects funded across the country.
The group also implored them to go beyond short-term, “grey” infrastructure solutions that often displace flooding rather than solve it; as well as prioritize Nature-based Solutions (NbS) such as watershed protection, construction of retention and detention ponds, mangrove rehabilitation, and the restoration of wetlands and estuarine marshes.
IDIS underscored that these solutions offer long-term, climate-resilient protection against flooding.
“The worsening floods in Davao City are not an isolated event—they are a warning signal of what is happening and will continue to happen nationwide if business-as-usual approaches persist. Flooding is not just a local inconvenience; it is a national climate emergency that demands decisive, coordinated, and science-based action from all levels of government,” IDIS said.
Meanwhile, IDIS stressed that, based on its research, many of Davao City’s flood-prone areas were once wetlands, tidal marshes, swamps, and natural catch basins.
IDIS stated that decades of unchecked urban development have reclaimed, converted, and altered these ecosystems, resulting in a staggering 95% loss of wetlands since 1945 in Davao City.
The group emphasized that the wetlands are essential for Davao City as they play a key role in retaining surface water during monsoons and guaranteeing water supply during dry spells.
“With rising sea levels and more intense rainfall due to climate change, waterways can no longer properly drain during high tides, causing floodwaters to spill into streets, homes, and establishments,” the group said.
IDIS said this situation in the city reflects a larger problem nationwide, as despite billions of pesos in annual allocations for flood control projects through local, regional, and congressional funds, flooding worsens in many cities and provinces.
“This raises urgent questions about the effectiveness, transparency, and accountability of flood control projects across the country,” it said.
