President Marcos visits CamSur evacuees

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos personally checked on the condition of evacuees in Naga City, Camarines Sur on Saturday, promising that the government will continue with its assistance, as he ordered the resumption of the Bicol River Basin Development Program (BRBDP) following severe flooding in the region. 

Marcos briefly chatted, shook hands with evacuees, including children, at the Naga City Hall, which serves as a temporary shelter for those displaced by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine, before presiding over a situation briefing with local officials.

“I just came to see that you are being taken care of properly,” the President said in Filipino.

He said the government would find ways to address the flooding in their province.

“But for now, expect that as long as the government is here, we will continue to help you,” Marcos said.

At a situation briefing at the Naga City Hall, Marcos directed Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan to revisit the BRBDP, which was initiated by his father, the late former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. in the ’70s.

The project – which could have addressed recurring flooding in the region – was halted in 1986, according to the President.

Marcos noted flood levels recorded in Bicol were twice as high as those experienced during Tropical Storm Ondoy in 2009. 

“Next time it rains, here we go again. It would be the same situation all over again. So, we have to find a long-term solution,” he said.

“This is really climate change. This is all new. So, we have to come up also with new solutions,” Marcos added. 

“I’m studying it (flooding) and I found that in 1973 there was the Bicol River Basin Development Project,” Marcos said. 

“However, it was not finished. In 1986 when the government changed, the project was abolished. It was terminated. So, we have to revisit it now. The conditions are different now with the advent of climate change,” he added. 

The BRBDP was launched in the 1970s as a geography-based development initiative for the Bicol region, primarily funded by the US Agency for International Development with support from the Asian Development Bank and the European Economic Community. 

Marcos said the program was