NLEX Flooding Leads To So-Called Filipino Resiliency

Here is another story that, on its face, seems like a tale of resiliency. A tale of overcoming the odds. But a peep behind the curtains reveals the rot at the bottom. 

https://mb.com.ph/2025/07/22/vendors-sell-instant-noodles-biscuits-to-stranded-motorists-in-nlex

The Filipinos' entrepreneurial spirit will always prevail, even during calamity situations.

At the height of heavy rains spawned by the southwest monsoon along the stretch of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) near the Mindanao Avenue exit, vendors sprouted and started selling instant noodles and biscuits to motorists and their passengers who were stranded in the flooded expressway.

A video posted by a netizen showed vendors offering cup noodles for P50 and biscuits for P30. They were also seen carrying pots of hot water to cook the noodles with.

The uploader said they were stranded for seven hours, prompting many to buy food just to get by.

The incident drew mixed reactions online. 

Some praised the vendors for helping people in need, while others criticized the prices as too high.

One netizen said, “Still, thanks to them. Your goods were a big help.”

“That’s the right thing to do—better than gambling or doing something wrong. It’s much better to work hard the right way. Great job, guys. Kudos to you!,” another commented.

Heavy rains from the southwest monsoon (habagat) have led to major flooding and traffic in Metro Manila.

There are two aspects to this story that need to be broken down. 

1. The flooding along NLEX. Built between 1968 and 1989, the NLEX is geared to handle lots of traffic. But it appears they did not build flood solutions into the roads. 

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/metro/953432/nlex-working-closely-with-gov-t-agencies-lgus-on-long-term-flood-solutions/story/

NLEX Corp., the operator of the North Luzon Expressway, on Tuesday said it is working closely with relevant government agencies and local government units (LGUs) to provide long-term solutions to the flooding as adverse weather conditions brought by Typhoon Crising and Southwest Monsoon (Habagat) rains rendered the major thoroughfare impassable for several hours.

In a statement, NLEX Corp. said safety remains its top priority as it encouraged motorists to monitor official weather bulletins and avoid non-essential travel during this time.

The toll roads operator said that on July 21, 2025 continuous rains brought by Crising and the Southwest Monsoon caused the surrounding rivers and creeks in Valenzuela and Meycauyan to overflow. 

“It resulted in flooding at certain portions of NLEX, despite the continuous operations of pumping stations,” the company said.

“These led to the temporary closures of Balintawak Cloverleaf and the Valenzuela Northbound and Southbound portions, including several expressway entry and exit points,” it said.

NLEX Corp. said it immediately deployed teams to monitor the situation, assess water levels, and provide on-site assistance. 

Patrol and emergency teams were mobilized to open U-turn slots and redirect vehicles to safer routes, it added.

“At around 8 p.m., both directions at the Balintawak Cloverleaf were passable to all types of vehicles,” the company said.

NLEX Corp. said it provided drinking water and snacks to assist stranded motorists. 

Why are they working on long time flood solutions now? Shouldn't they have done this earlier? Everybody knows the Philippines floods during the rainy season. 

https://mb.com.ph/2025/07/22/very-old-drainage-system-hampers-metro-manila-flood-controldpwh

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Tuesday, July 22, raised concern over Metro Manila’s flood control capability, saying the region’s “very old” drainage system is no longer sufficient to handle the volume of rainwater during heavy downpours. 

DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan said nearly 70 percent of the capital region’s drainage network can no longer channel floodwaters to pumping stations, even though these facilities remain fully operational. 

“The pumping stations are working. The problem is, floodwaters can’t flow to them because the drainage system is not adequate to convey floodwaters,” Bonoan said, noting that much of the system is outdated and heavily silted. 

He also cited that areas previously not prone to flooding, including Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City, are now experiencing water buildup due to clogged inlets and disconnected waterways. 

A comprehensive assessment by the DPWH showed that the region’s drainage network can no longer cope with present-day rainfall levels. 

In response, the department has partnered with the World Bank to update Metro Manila’s flood management master plan 

The updated plan includes the rehabilitation of 32 existing pumping stations and the construction of two additional facilities in the Metro Talon area. 

While operations and maintenance are under the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the DPWH is leading infrastructure improvements. 

“This has to be done immediately. It’s only the start of the rainy season, and already we’re seeing serious flooding issues,” Bonoan said. 

The agency will also review MMDA’s report attributing flooding along Commonwealth Avenue to the ongoing construction of the MRT-7 station. 

Bonoan said technical recommendations will be issued following a detailed assessment. 

Meanwhile, more than 20,000 residents across 55 barangays in Quezon City were evacuated due to severe flooding caused by garbage-clogged drains and rising waters from the San Mateo, San Juan, Tullahan, and Meycauayan rivers. 

Quezon City spokesperson Peachy de Leon said the city’s drainage system was overwhelmed by improperly disposed garbage and the overflowing La Mesa Dam, which contributed to flooding in several low-lying communities. 

To address long-term flood risks, the DPWH is pursuing the Pasig-Marikina River floodway program, which includes the construction of retarding basins and potential flood-control dams to manage runoff from the Sierra Madre mountain range. 

Bonoan said President Marcos has directed a “holistic approach” to flood mitigation, integrating engineering solutions with land use planning, environmental protection, and solid waste management. 

“Flooding is not just an engineering problem. It’s also a problem of environment, land use, and garbage. We need an all-of-government strategy,” Bonoan added.

The real reason the pumps are not working is because of garbage. That is a government problem.  They know garbage is being littered and they wait until flooding happens?

2. Filipino resiliency. 

This is the second part of the article.  Filipinos sell food to stranded motorists. Why?  Well, because they need money. But if they had jobs that paid they would not need to risk thier lives by wading through floodwaters to make a few pesos. This so-called resiliency is often paraded as a virtue when in fact it is indicative of the dire straits in which some people live. 

https://opinion.inquirer.net/177869/stop-romanticizing-resilience

Resilience is the most abused and overused term to describe what helps Filipinos survive calamities. The word has started to sound like a backhanded compliment because being resilient for many simply implies that it is the only way for them to survive difficult situations in the absence of long-term, sustainable solutions.

As Albay Rep. Joey Salceda found out when he wrote on his Facebook page in a now-deleted post, “Good day Global Albay. We are resilient,” resiliency is no longer viewed positively especially when it only exposes and highlights the abject failure of the government to address perennial problems such as heavy flooding during typhoons. And then there was Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte who said residents in his jurisdiction—one of the areas hardest hit by Severe Tropical Storm “Kristine”—were already “accustomed” to typhoons.

Kristine dumped two months’ worth of rain in several provinces affecting 2.3 million Filipinos; over 40 have been reported dead and about 250,000 displaced. The Department of Agriculture estimated damage to crops amounting to P143 million. Many areas including Cavite, Quezon, Samar, and Bicol have been placed under a state of calamity. No one should be accustomed to such disasters.

That the Philippines is the most disaster-prone country in the world has been established by the World Risk Index, which has ranked it at the top for the third consecutive year due to its exposure and vulnerability to natural disasters, as well as the lack of coping and adaptive capacities. But aside from these factors, Katrin Radtke, a senior researcher specializing in disaster preparedness at the Ruhr University Bochum in Germany, said poverty and high levels of corruption hugely contribute to the country’s risk ranking.

As Kristine battered Luzon and the Visayas, viral social media posts laid bare the plight of many Filipinos: desperate appeals for help by affected residents trapped in their homes or forced to climb to the roof to escape the rising floods, many more braving waist-deep or even deeper waters to save family, property, or pets—scenes reminiscent of many previous typhoons that had hit the country. At one point, Bicol’s Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council announced that its rescuers could no longer respond to the numerous calls for rescue due to the shortage of rubber boats and advised residents to look for safe areas (“humanap muna ng puwedeng ligtas na lugar”). Even President Marcos said he felt a “little helpless” and that all the government could do was “sit tight, wait, hope, pray that there’s not too much damage, that there are no casualties.”

The government, given the resources it has at its disposal, is the last institution that should feel helpless. It has billions of funds allocated for projects that are meant to avoid the very situations Filipinos found themselves in during the onslaught of Kristine. But, as cited in last Tuesday’s editorial, an Oxfam report has found that 70 percent of funds meant for mitigating disasters are almost untouched. This reflects the reactionary mindset prevalent among government officials, which must change.

Resilience is not bad in itself, but only when there are established systems that prepare communities for disasters, prevent them from suffering huge losses, and help them restore and rebuild stronger for future extreme events. The government must take decisive action and shift its disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) policy from being reactive and hyper-focused on relief and rescue to one that is proactive and aimed at mitigation. This could include tapping technology to help communities anticipate the amount of rainfall and determine hazardous and flood-prone areas, provide vulnerable households with survival kits, and build better flood-control infrastructure, stronger dwellings, and permanent shelters so there won’t be any need to resort to using schools or basketball courts as temporary evacuation centers.

It must also stop development projects that are destructive to nature, specifically, forests and mangroves, which act as shields against typhoons and tsunamis. Sierra Madre, for example, an Isabela official believes, spared the province from the brunt of Kristine’s wrath. This makes the protection of mountain ranges and forests from denudation and deforestation of paramount importance.

Filipinos are not helpless either. In the coming midterm elections, they can choose to vote for leaders who have clear environmental platforms. Do they have sound DRRM plans or will they ride their version of Noah’s Ark to distribute cash to their desperate constituents in the middle of the floods to cover up for the lack of disaster preparedness? Ecological issues are as equally important as economic matters and those running for public office must be scrutinized on where they stand on them. This vicious cycle that enables politicians to exploit and romanticize people’s resilience must end.

Resiliency says less about the people and more about the corrupt government which does little to prevent very preventable calamities such as flooding.