The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has completed the draft National Flood Management Framework, establishing a unified, long-term policy direction for flood risk reduction as part of the country’s broader water resources and national development agenda.
The framework shifts flood management from a largely reactive, disaster-response approach to a core element of sustainable water resources management and development planning.
It adopts an Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) approach, treating flood control not as a stand-alone intervention but as part of an interconnected system that supports irrigation, water supply, hydropower, food security, environmental protection, and local development.
“The framework is designed to serve as a convergence point for the many government agencies involved in water, land use, and infrastructure.”
Environment Secretary Raphael Lotilla said the framework is designed to serve as a convergence point for the many government agencies involved in water, land use, and infrastructure.
Lotilla noted that major water and flood-control investments are largely managed outside the DENR, primarily by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the National Irrigation Administration (NIA).
The framework provides overarching policy guidance to align infrastructure development, watershed management, and local land-use planning, ensuring that public investments contribute not only to flood mitigation but also to water storage, irrigation, and even potable water supply.
The National Flood Management Framework is anchored on four core principles that guide flood management nationwide.
First, it prioritizes nature-based solutions at the headwaters, recognizing that healthy watersheds and restored ecosystems are essential to addressing the root causes of flooding rather than merely its downstream impacts.
Second, it promotes the strategic impoundment of stormwater for multiple benefits, reframing floodwaters as valuable resources that can support irrigation, potable water supply, energy generation, and other productive uses that strengthen climate resilience and economic growth.
In downstream and urban areas, the framework calls for the integrated use of green and grey infrastructure, combining natural systems such as wetlands, river easements, and mangrove belts with well-designed and properly maintained structures, including dikes, revetments, and pumping stations supported by modern monitoring and early-warning systems.
Finally, it emphasizes land-use planning and risk-sensitive development, ensuring that growth and infrastructure decisions are guided by flood hazard information, environmental safeguards, and coordinated governance to prevent exposure before disasters occur.
The Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) has emphasized that the framework should guide the formulation of all flood master plans nationwide to ensure consistency, alignment, and coherence across agencies and levels of government.
“The framework represents a shift toward viewing floodwaters not only as hazards but also as resources that can be captured, stored, and used during dry months.”
Lotilla added that the framework represents a shift toward viewing floodwaters not only as hazards but also as resources that can be captured, stored, and used during dry months.
“How we string these together – so we can store water, use it during the dry months, and reserve some for treatment – that is the convergence point. The framework is really designed to bring the different agencies together,” the environment chief said.
The environment head stressed that flood management is not simply about removing or diverting water, but about managing it strategically for productive and long-term use.
He cited the institutionalization of flood management coordination under the DEPDev Infrastructure Committee and its Sub-committee on Water Management as a key step in advancing this approach.
As part of revising the government’s flood management strategy, the DPWH has created an advisory group, consisting of three flood control experts. DENR Undersecretary for Integrated Environmental Science Dr. Carlos Primo David is part of the group along with University of the Philippines Professor and Project Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (NOAH) Director Mahar Lagmay, and Dr. Guillermo Tabios III of the UP Institute of Civil Engineering.
According to DPWH, all future flood projects shall likewise require DENR concurrence.
The draft framework is now being circulated among key agencies, including the DPWH, the NIA, and local government units, for refinement and harmonization.
This process aims to establish a unified national direction for flood risk reduction, resilient land use, and sustainable water resources management before the rollout of coordinated programs and project packages.
