Screengrab from DPWH

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is taking the lead in strengthening Cebu’s flood defenses, rolling out major river recovery efforts to keep communities safe from another disaster.

Following the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the DPWH—working closely with local government units—is pushing for wider rivers, continuous dredging, and the expansion of No-Build Zones along the Mananga River and other waterways across the province. These measures are aimed at increasing river capacity and preventing overflow during heavy rains.

As part of the initiative, DPWH will also install fencing along riverbanks, starting downstream and moving upstream, to stop illegal structures and allow rivers to naturally recover.

“Let’s help na the local government to fence na downstream, and then going upstream. Para we can already recover the river. That’s the key now, the priority is to recover the river. That’s the key. Because if we can widen the river and intervene, and have more capacity,” According to DPWH Sec. Dizon during the inspection of projects in Cebu.

The DPWH stressed that the program is part of a broader national push ordered by the President to intensify river dredging and cleanup operations, especially in areas that have already suffered severe flooding.

“One of the major priorities of the President is to fix the flood management situation in Cebu because we already saw ‘yung effects talaga nung nangyari sa Tino and the President said we cannot allow that to happen again,” the DPWH Secretary added.

With DPWH at the forefront—backed by Malacañang and local governments—the push to widen rivers and enforce no-build zones signals a stronger, more proactive approach to flood control in Cebu.