What you need to know:
- In 2012, the Department of Public Works and Highways began constructing the Las Piñas-Zapote River Drive to ease the flooding problem in Las Piñas City. Initiated by Senator Cynthia Villar, the project also aimed to clean the Zapote River.
- Despite the completion of the flood control project, residents living near the river continue to grapple with floods during heavy rains and strong typhoons. Recent data from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources also revealed that the river remains polluted.
- Reports from the city’s police agency showed 101 recorded road accidents along the river drive from 2022-2023. Over 40 vehicular accidents have been reported from January to August 2024.
- A maintenance road constructed as part of the flood control project was opened to the public by the Las Piñas City government. Opened only to private vehicles, the stretch of the Las Piñas-Zapote River Drive passes through several Villar-owned businesses and realty in the city, raising concerns over potential conflicts of interest.
Sacks of charcoal reached the roof of a cramped space inside the Old Zapote Market in Las Piñas City. Black dust settled on Mary’s skin, as she supervised the workers hauling the sacks in a delivery truck.
The mother of two has been running this business for eight years at this market, which stands only 19 meters away from the Zapote River. In those years, Mary, who declined to use her real name, has seen her stall submerged in floodwaters after every heavy rainfall.
“Last year, siguro tatlong kamada (stacks) ng uling [ang tubig baha],” said the 43-year-old, recalling the floods caused by Super Typhoon Egay in July 2023, which lashed Luzon with severe winds and heavy rains. Metro Manila, including Las Piñas, was placed under tropical wind signal number one.
“Iyong mga bundle lang ang sine-save namin [kapag baha], kasi mahirap kapag nabasa ang mga bundle, magkalas (unwrap) ka,” she said, referring to the repacked packages of charcoal in plastic bags.
The flooding caused by Egay was only one of such floods she has experienced since she started living in Barangay Zapote, Las Piñas in 2007. Like Mary, other residents who live in barangays near Zapote River have had to live with perennial flooding in the area, affecting not just their homes, but also their livelihood.
In 2012, the local Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) started constructing the Las Piñas-Zapote River Drive, a flood control project that promised to ease flooding in the area and even clean the 18.3-kilometer river, a document provided by the department shows. However, even after the project’s completion in 2022, Las Piñas residents continue to grapple with floods, leaving into question the project’s effectiveness.
While many factors contribute to flooding, several residents interviewed by the authors could not confirm that their flood situation has improved over the years. Similarly, the local DPWH was unable to assess whether the project met its intended goals, as no evaluation report was conducted following its completion.
Funded under the General Appropriations Act from 2011 to 2022, the Las Piñas-Zapote River Drive was built in several phases.
The first phase involved the construction of the P2.42-billion Zapote River Drive, traversing seven barangays in Las Piñas: Pulanglupa Uno, Zapote, Pamplona Uno, Pamplona Dos, Talon Dos, Talon Singko, and Almanza Dos. It starts at C-5 Extension Road in Barangay Pulanglupa I and ends at the Evia Lifestyle Center, a mall opened in 2012 under Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc. run by Manuel Paolo Villar, son of Cynthia and real estate tycoon and former senator Manny Villar.
The Las Piñas River Drive was the second phase of the project, costing P120.76 million. It starts at the end of C-5 Extension Road to CAA Road. Construction was completed in 2019.
The last phase of the project includes the construction of the 5-kilometer Molino River Drive from Daanghari to Barangay Molino III and Molino VI in Bacoor, Cavite.
In a press release in 2021, Senator Cynthia Villar, who initiated the river drive, said the project will not only reduce flooding, but will also clean up the river and reduce travel time from Las Piñas to Bacoor City in Cavite province.
The flood control project combines a six-meter wide road built alongside retaining walls and a slope protection structure against erosion, according to the DPWH Las Piñas-Muntinlupa District Engineering Office (DPWH LPMDEO).
Interviews with residents living near the Zapote River said the river drive’s retaining walls have prevented the river from overflowing. Yet flooding in the area persists because of the backflow of water through drainage pipes beneath the road, said Marianne Saga-Oc, the LPMDEO’s chief of planning and design section.
High flood risk
In the latest hazard map developed by the University of the Philippines (UP) Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (NOAH) Center, the flood hazard level in communities along the Zapote River remains high.
The center, which was previously administered by the Department of Science and Technology, undertakes research on disasters and conducts hazard assessments.
Trixie Delmendo, a research specialist at UP NOAH, said that zones close to rivers are considered floodplains. “Kasama sa cycle ng ilog na kapag umulan, mag-swell talaga [ang water level] (It’s part of the cycle of the river when it rains, [the water level] would swell),” she said.
For Mary, flooding somewhat eased since the construction of the Zapote River Drive as its retaining wall now blocks the water that used to overflow directly into their community.
“Hindi na kagaya dati na [kahit] saglit lang ang ulan, nabaha agad. Ngayon kasi medyo mataas na ‘yung pader na ‘yan. Pero meron pa rin [baha],” she said.
In communities like the Bernabe Compound in Brgy. Pulanglupa Uno, however, residents still suffer from flooding caused by overflowing water because the flood control project was built across Zapote River, over 40 meters away from the side of the community.
Felix Anas, a 38-year-old fisherman, vividly recalled the waist-deep flooding during Super Typhoon Carina last July. Like other residents, his family chose to stay at home. “Iyong inuupahan namin, may second floor naman,” he said.
Saga-Oc, said the river drive was designed to have a retaining wall based on the design flood – a hypothetical measure of flood based on the maximum-level of experienced flooding.
“‘Yung design flood is more or less one or three meters. Kaya hindi naman siguro siyang mag-oovertap,” she said.
However, reports from residents show that the river overflowed during the recent Typhoon Kristine last October 2024, causing flooding to the surrounding areas.
Aside from overflowing, Saga-Oc admitted that backflow, caused by water entering drainage pipes placed below the maximum flood level, is also a challenge for them.
This problem can only be solved by upgrading roads to improve drainage outfalls, she said. “Dahil tumataas ang level ng tubig, kailangan mo rin taasan ang tubo mo,” she said.
Although the river drive was a DPWH project, its classification as a barangay, local, municipal, or national road has not been determined, leaving uncertain which office is responsible for maintaining and conducting drainage improvements on the road.
Flood problem remains
Juanita Relativo, 72, recalled the flooding that engulfed the lower half of their single-storey house in 2023.
“Parang dagat ‘yan,” she recounted, pointing to her yard. “Hindi [kami lumikas]. Dito lang kami, tumutuntong sa mga silya kasi gabi ‘yon,” she said.
Flooding is nothing new for Relativo, who has lived in Talango Compound in Barangay Pamplona Dos for nearly five decades. Tropical Storm Ondoy in 2009 brought the worst floods she had ever experienced in the area, she said, with floodwaters rising above head level. They did not evacuate during that time. They simply ensured the safety of her grandchildren and waited for the flood to subside.
Comparing her experiences before and after the construction of the river drive, Relativo said she did not notice any changes in flooding. The river still overflows beyond the retaining walls during heavy rains, she said.
“Hindi ba may harang [ang river drive]? Lumalagpas [ang baha] sa harang (retaining wall),” she said. “Basta kapag ‘yung umapaw ‘yung ilog, sigurado may tubig dito. Pero kapag malakas na malakas lang naman ang ulan.”
While residents hold varying views on the river drive’s impact, it remains unclear whether the project achieved its intended goals since the DPWH has not conducted any evaluation report after the project was completed.
“Wala kaming post-construction assessment,” Saga-Oc said.
“Personally ginagamit namin ‘yung maintenance road as access para makaiwas na kami sa traffic. I think nase-serve niya naman ‘yung purpose like ‘yung slope protection, wala naman tayong nakitang nag-erode na area sa river drive,” added Engr. Kevin Filipino, construction section chief of DPWH LPMDEO.
However, in September 2024, a portion of the River Drive collapsed due to heavy rainfall during the onslaught of Typhoon Enteng.
In designing the flood control projects, Saga-Oc also said DPWH considers climate change by estimating the water flow in a certain river. With climate change, residents will most likely face more flooding in the coming years, according to UP NOAH.
Delmendo said that changes in rainfall and temperature are to be expected due to climate change. “Tumataas na yung intensity, dumadalas pa yung mga pag-ulan,” she said.
Cemented banks as solution
The implementation of the river drive project resulted in the cementing of the riverbanks of the Zapote River, where the retaining walls supposedly help in slope protection and prevent soil erosion.
However, flooding would still persist with cemented riverbanks because the water would flow directly into the river without soil to facilitate infiltration, said Dr. Francis Magbanua, a freshwater scientist from UP Diliman Institute of Biology.
“‘Yung water containing mga contaminants, na-absorb pa ng soil so hindi siya diretso pumapasok doon sa river system,” he said. “Pero kapag puro semento, tuloy-tuloy lahat yan, hindi siya na-absorb ng water.”
Magbanua emphasized the importance of retaining the natural soil and vegetation to serve as the easement in the riverbank. “The wider the easement, the better, para malayo pa lang nasasala na,” he said.
The government, however, does not often see the bigger picture of natural processes, said landscape architect and environmental planner Jose Dan Villa Juan, resulting in “short-sighted solutions.”
Concrete structures are often proposed as the default solution to flooding, he said. However, concrete stops the flow and energy of water, pushing the slope structures back until it cracks and falls into the river, he added.
“Because the ground cannot absorb, there will be more volume flowing in the rivers, meaning stronger erosion processes, higher flood waters further downstream,” added Villa Juan, who is also an assistant professor at the UP College of Architecture.
He said rain, erosion, and flooding are inherent in river systems and hence, cannot be stopped but only controlled.
“Allowing the river to go through its natural processes is vital. For everyone’s sake. For humans, wildlife, biodiversity,” he said.
Zapote River in Barangay Talon Dos in 2022 and 2023 after the construction of the river drive in 2023. [Screenshots: Google Earth Pro]
Easement rule
Lomiza Viernez, who has lived for over two decades in Talango Compound in Pamplona Uno, recalled that there used to be coconut trees along the Zapote River near their area, which helped the floodwaters recede quickly.
“Dati maraming puno ng niyog kaya mabilis nasisipsip din ‘yung tubig,” said the 28-year-old.
Retaining easement is mandated under the Water Code of the Philippines, or Presidential Decree No. 1067. Enacted in 1976, the code prohibits building structures “of any kind” within the three-meter easement along rivers in urban areas “longer than what is necessary for recreation, navigation, floatage, fishing or salvage.”
Section 28 of the implementing rules and regulations of PD 1067 also states that “any construction or structure that encroaches into such easements shall be ordered removed by the Minister of Public Works.”
In the 2020-2030 Comprehensive Land Use Plan of Las Piñas City, the Las Piñas and Zapote River System is classified under the Environmental Preservation Area (EPA), which means there is a “need for measures that will regenerate the waterways for the survival of the ecological system.” It further stated that EPA implores environmental protection activities, such as tree planting, construction ban, and reducing pollution.
The DPWH LPMDEO said they complied with the easement rule specified in the Water Code, with the road serving as the easement itself.
Filipino said the river drive is an infrastructure intended for public use, while the structures in the Water Code refer to “private property” like houses.
However, Magbanua said that neither houses nor roads should be at the river banks to provide for legal easement.
Villa Juan, meanwhile, said that all infrastructures are structures, including the Zapote River Drive. “A roadway is infrastructure. But technically, it is a structure, it’s a horizontal structure,” he said.
Easements along waterways in Metro Manila are mapped by the survey team of the Manila Bay Coordinating Office (MBCO) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). They craft recommendations for the removal of houses and establishments encroaching on easements.
However, the DENR-MBCO adjusts their mapping for government projects like those by the DPWH.
Engr. Patrick Macazo, team leader of the DENR-MBCO Legal Easement Recovery and Demarcation Unit, said they determine the original course of a water body but adapt any engineering intervention by the government.
“[Kapag] nag-e-easement recovery kami at mayroong infrastructure development ang DPWH, minsan ina-adapt namin ‘yung alignment nila … kasi hindi tayo pwede mag-curve doon sa proyekto ng gobyerno,” he said.
Villa Juan said that the Water Code is outdated and in need of revision, noting that the measurement of easement should vary because rivers are dynamic and constantly want to move.
“It’s a problem that originates from the top. One of the problems is how they define the environment as something that’s static,” he said. “If you look at it that way, then engineering structures, concrete structures, are the solution.”
Risk reduction, avoidance
A 2022 study that looked into flood control projects in the Philippines from the Hispanic period to present times showed that DPWH mainly focuses on risk reduction in their flood control projects. This involves “costly structural solutions,” such as the construction of dikes, walls, and revetments along river banks.
The study was authored by Assistant Professor Richard Rinen from the UP College of Architecture and Professor Norio Maki from Kyoto University and was published in Muhon, a journal on architecture, landscape architecture and designed environment.
Risk reduction strategies involve minimizing the chances and impacts of potential losses, according to the study. This contrasts the risk avoidance method in combating flooding which deals with completely eliminating exposure to risk.
The study identified instances of risk avoidance strategies being used to combat flooding throughout Philippine history. This mostly involved relocating “vulnerable populations to less hazardous places.”
Rinen and Maki concluded that non-structural solutions are most effective in mitigating flooding.
“[H]owever, there are situations where structural solutions are inevitable and therefore a combination of strategies with focus more on risk avoidance strategies should be considered,” the authors noted.
River remains polluted
During the inauguration of the last stretch of Zapote River Drive in 2021, Senator Cynthia Villar, who currently chairs the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee, said that maintaining the cleanliness of the river is among the goals of the project.
Data from the DENR Environmental Management Bureau, however, showed that the river remains polluted, based on the Water Quality Guidelines under the DENR Department Administrative Order 2016-08.
Water quality assessments from 2019 to 2023 revealed that the Zapote River consistently exceeded the maximum limit of parameters for Class C water bodies, which the river falls under.
On annual average, its biological oxygen demand (BOD) levels remained high in the last five years, with the highest recorded in 2019 at 47.25 mg/L. This is over six times higher than the 7 mg/L limit.
According to Magbanua, BOD is used to measure the organic pollution present in water bodies. Higher BOD means that there are large amounts of organic pollutants that need to be decomposed by microorganisms in the river.
“Kapag tumataas siya [BOD], mas mataas ang organic pollution sa river. So kailangan, mababa ang BOD kasi conducive rin siya for pathogens and viruses na mag-cause ng public health concern, especially diarrhea,” Magbanua said.
The DENR also reported that the river’s total suspended solids (TSS) in 2019 and 2023 breached the 80 mg/L limit.
TSS refers to tiny solid particles that float in water and do not dissolve, such as sand, sediment, or clay, which also carry pollutants. The higher the TSS, the less clear the river.
A high level of TSS also creates a shading effect like a cloud cover, reducing the amount of light that penetrates the water. This affects the food-making process and growth of algae and plants in the river, according to Magbanua.
Dangerous road
Issues also hound the river drive road, which DPWH LPMDEO said it constructed as a maintenance road to transport maintenance equipment.
“The flood control structure is the maintenance road para makapag-dredge kami. Naging tawag lang (yung river drive),” said DPWH LPMDEO’s Filipino.
Later, however, the road was opened by the Las Piñas government to private vehicles to reduce travel time from the city to Cavite province.
Signs posted along the river drive indicate that only private cars are allowed to pass through the road. Public vehicles, such as tricycles, motorcycles, and bicycles, are prohibited.
According to the Las Piñas City Planning Office, allowing public vehicles to pass through will “defeat its purpose.”
“Kapag sumobra ang dami ng mga sasakyan doon, magiging stagnant naman ang traffic,” said Ian Cruz, who is in charge of the office’s development planning. He added that it is not safe for motorcycles to pass through, given the narrow size of the road.
But DPWH LPMDEO said the river drive is not a standard road even for cars because it is not intended to have consistent two lanes. They added that opening the road for vehicles is beyond their control as their mandate over the project is only limited to its construction.
“The only job of the Department of Public Works and Highways is to construct an infrastructure project,” Saga-Oc said. “Kung pagpadaanan nila yan or whatsoever, hindi na namin yun papakialaman.”
The standard size of roads is determined based on their classification, whether they are national, provincial, municipality/city, barangay, or expressway. However, the river drive has not yet been classified, according to the city’s engineering office.
Villa Juan said the width inconsistency may result in accidents. “Kung itu-turn over nila to the public as a public use road, sana inayos nila ‘yung road width, ‘yung dimensions. Otherwise, wala siya sa standard, it’s accident-prone,” he said.
Between 2022 and 2023, the traffic management unit of the Las Piñas police recorded 101 road accidents along the river drive. From January to August this year, over 40 vehicular accidents have been reported.
When asked about the safety of car owners, Cruz said the drivers have already adapted to the curvy nature of the road over time.
“Ingat na lang,” he said.
Conflicts of interest?
Las Piñas City is known as a political stronghold of the Villar clan, whose members have held different local government positions since the 1980s. The city is peppered with numerous Villar-owned businesses, including several built along the Zapote River Drive.
Among these are the Villar Sipag Farm School, Villar Football Island Field, Villar Children’s Farm, and the café Dear Joe Coffee. It also passes through the Villars’ realty Portofino Heights.
Finally, the road ends in Daang Hari at Evia Lifestyle Center, a mall also owned by the Villars.
Las Pinas River Drive, the project’s second phase, also passes through another Dear Joe Coffee branch in Barangay Pulanglupa Uno and connects to a road leading to Floriad Lifestyle Shopping Mall in C-5 Extension Road, also owned by the political clan.
Dr. Sheilah Napalang, a professor at the UP School of Urban and Regional Planning, said politicians strategically developing businesses along public roads is not technically illegal since there are no laws in the country that prohibit this practice.
She said, however, that officials still benefit from having advanced information about infrastructure projects through their positions.
“Kung ako ang DPWH Secretary, alam ko kung saan ang mga roads. There is no corruption, but alam mo ahead of time so mayroon kang edge over all the others who may be in the real estate business, but do not have the knowledge that you have,” Napalang said.
The reporters attempted several times to gather Senator Cynthia Villar’s comment on the issue. They reached out to her via email on July 24, followed by calls and a follow-up email on August 8. The reporters also personally visited her office in B.F. Resort Village in Las Piñas on August 19 where the request letter was received by the Office of Senator.
Additional follow-up emails were sent afterwards. However, she has not yet responded as of press time.
Previously, patriarch Manuel Villar Jr. has been accused of a conflict of interest for intervening with public works, while he was a senator.
In 2009, the Senate Committee of the Whole Ethics said that Villar Jr. influenced the DPWH to ensure that the C-5 Extension Road would pass through his real estate properties and adjacent commercial lands, thereby raising their values and earning from right-of-way compensation.
The committee recommended Villar be censured and return any benefits gained through the realignment of the C-5 road extension. However, the Senate did not act on the motion due to a lack of quorum, as 11 lawmakers did not attend the session, including Senators Aquilino Pimentel Jr., Alan Peter Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, Loren Legarda, Edgardo Angara, Joker Arroyo, Manuel Lapid, Ramon Revilla Jr., Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Antonio Trillanes IV, and Panfilo Lacson.
Since 1982, the Villars had taken turns holding political seats in local and national governments. Villar Jr. first represented Las Piñas-Muntinlupa’s at-large district, later becoming the representative of the Lone District of Las Piñas in 1988.
In 2001, his wife Cynthia succeeded him and served as the city’s representative until 2010, before she ran for the Senate.
Their son, Mark Villar, took over the position from 2010 to 2016 before he was appointed as the DPWH secretary under the term of former President Rodrigo Duterte. In the recent 2022 elections, their daughter, Camille Villar, likewise won as the city’s district representative.
As the country braces itself to deal with stronger typhoons in the coming years, Villa Juan said the government should instead find better alternatives to solve the flooding problem, rather than simply revert to engineering solutions. “You know, politicians will say ‘mahal kasi,’” he said. “But in the long run, who suffers? It’s the people living there.”
Bringing back the biodiversity in the remaining riverbank areas would be more sustainable instead of building concrete structures similar to the Zapote River Drive, he said.
“Understand the ecology,” he said. “Find a way to work with our natural systems, our ecosystems.” — PCIJ.org
This story project was supervised by PCIJ editor-at-large Karol llagan and journalist Jhesset Enano with the support of the Department of Journalism at the University of the Philippines – Diliman.