Manila: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s infusion of a fresh PHP1 billion funding for Project Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (NOAH) will bolster government's capacity to respond effectively to tropical cyclones and floods made worse by climate change. Mahar Lagmay, executive director of the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute (UPRI), said that with the additional funds, Project NOAH can focus on strengthening flood management, hazard monitoring and disaster-risk-reduction systems as the country confronts the effects of climate change.
According to Philippines News Agency, President Marcos ordered the release of PHP1 billion for Project NOAH, which UPRI manages, to boost impact-based forecasting developed by Project NOAH researchers using years of historical information, satellite images, rainfall data, and other datasets. The President's directive to the Department of Budget and Management is another critical move in his data-driven governance, which recognizes the vital role of hard science in statecraft, notably the national infrastructure spending of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) being guided by scientific data from UPRI's NOAH.
Founded in 2012, NOAH seeks to assist government in disaster-risk reduction and management, climate-change adaptation and mitigation efforts, and related activities through research, development and extension services. The DPWH has begun laying the technical foundation for future, science-backed flood-management infrastructure to strengthen long-term disaster preparedness and climate-change-risk response nationwide.
At President Marcos's directive to enhance nationwide flood resiliency, DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon has ordered the updating of all flood-management master plans to protect Filipinos from massive flooding year after year. To ensure these master plans reflect current climate realities, the agency is collaborating with UPRI's Project NOAH, local government units, and key partner agencies to integrate detailed hazard mapping and scientific data before their implementation.
On Sept. 2, the President said the government is now implementing a flood-control master plan that has been in place for decades. 'We already have a master plan. It's just never been executed. We are only executing it now,' President Marcos told reporters after inspecting repair works at a collapsed bridge in Tarlac. 'We have had a master plan for decades pero walang ginawa. Ngayon lang natin sinisimulan (but nothing was done. We are only starting it now),' the President said. The President's remarks came as Central Luzon, Metro Manila, and other parts of Luzon grappled with widespread flooding brought by heavy monsoon rains.
The administration has repeatedly called on national government agencies to implement long-term flood-control measures, including de-clogging and dredging waterways, improving drainage systems, and proper land-use planning, as the government responds to increasingly intense rainfall linked to climate change. Lagmay said NOAH's impact-based forecasting system is projected to forecast, one day in advance, where flooding may occur and its impact on roads, homes, buildings, and vehicular flow.
'The PHP1 billion allocation for UPRI will be measured by better information, transparency, evidence-based governance and decision-making, effective flood management, and reduced disaster risks and losses,' Lagmay said. Of the total allocation, P935 million will support research services, while PHP65 million will fund general management and supervision of NOAH's implementation. The allocation is part of the UP System's built-in appropriation under the 2026 General Appropriations Act.
Lagmay said UPRI's budget will fund high-resolution mapping of major river basins, hazard assessments, land-use planning, and Oplan Kontra Baha initiatives, in coordination with the DPWH, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, local government units, and private-sector partners. The allocation will also support Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) drone topographic surveys, capacity-building programs with state universities and colleges, native tree mapping, sediment erosion assessments, mapping of hidden waterways, nature-based solutions, and the use of artificial intelligence and analytics for disaster-risk management.
UP President Angelo Jimenez said the Marcos administration's funding for UPRI is 'an investment in the power of research and innovation to serve the nation.' 'We do research because knowledge matters, and knowledge matters most when it can help us make better decisions, solve real problems, and improve the lives of our people,' Jimenez said.
