MANILA—The government’s additional P1 billion funding for the Project Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (NOAH) is expected to strengthen its ability to respond to typhoons and flooding intensified by climate change, according to the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute (UPRI).

Mahar Lagmay, UPRI executive director and a UP geology professor, said the additional funding would allow Project NOAH to enhance flood management, hazard monitoring and disaster-risk reduction systems.

In interviews with state and private broadcast media over the weekend, Lagmay said he hoped the government’s investment would translate scientific research into measures that could better protect communities.

“Will continue to transform scientific knowledge into practical action that protects lives and helps build safer, more resilient, and sustainable communities.”

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ordered the Department of Budget and Management to release P1 billion for Project NOAH, which is managed by UPRI.

The funding will support impact-based forecasting developed by NOAH researchers using historical data, satellite imagery, rainfall information and other datasets.

Lagmay said the system is expected to forecast up to a day in advance where flooding may occur and determine its potential effects on roads, homes, buildings and vehicular traffic.

“The P1 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 allocation, P935 million will go to research services, while P65 million will cover general management and supervision of NOAH’s implementation. The funding forms part of the UP System’s built-in appropriation under the 2026 General Appropriations Act.

Science-backed flood control

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has begun preparing the technical foundation for future flood-management infrastructure based on scientific data.

Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon, acting on Marcos’ directive to improve nationwide flood resilience, ordered the updating of flood-management master plans to address recurring large-scale flooding.

The DPWH is working with UPRI’s Project NOAH, local government units and other partner agencies to incorporate hazard maps and scientific data into the updated plans before implementation.

Marcos said on Sept. 2 that the government was finally implementing a flood-control master plan that had 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 earlier this week.

“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 made the remarks as Central Luzon, Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon experienced widespread flooding caused by heavy monsoon rains.

The administration has pushed national government agencies to pursue long-term flood-control measures, including the declogging and dredging of waterways, improvement of drainage systems and proper land-use planning, amid increasingly intense rainfall associated with climate change.

Expanded research

Lagmay said UPRI’s funding would support 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 governments and private-sector partners.

The allocation will also finance Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) drone topographic surveys, capacity-building programs with state universities and colleges, native tree mapping, sediment erosion assessments and the mapping of hidden waterways.

Other initiatives include nature-based solutions and the use of artificial intelligence and analytics for disaster-risk management.

Established in 2012, Project NOAH aims to support government disaster-risk reduction and management, climate-change adaptation and mitigation, and related efforts through research, development and extension services.

UP President Angelo Jimenez described the funding as an investment in research and innovation that could directly benefit the country.

“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 emphasized.