The Regional Development Council VIII-Infrastructure and Utilities Development Committee (RDC VIII-IUDC) recommended the endorsement of the proposed Ormoc City Urban Waterscape Project during their Special Meeting on 03 December 2020, via Zoom.

Proposed by Ormoc City Mayor Richard I. Gomez, the project aims to address the persistent problems of flooding, urban heat stress, and storm surges that threaten the lives and livelihoods of the people of Ormoc.

With a total cost of around PhP302 million, the project is focused on both banks of the lower Malbasag River and part of Can-adieng neighborhood, with plans for the development of linear Parks and open spaces; sustainable urban drainage systems; seawall and buffer; and socialized housing.

If completed, the project will implement climate strategies to expand green spaces, increase permeable surfaces, manage surface run-off, and build heat adaptive and disaster resilient housing for the vulnerable segments of Ormoc society.

Currently, only the river wall along the Malbasag River protects the area from flooding.

The project is a pilot of the Building Climate Resiliency through Urban Plans and Design (BCRUPD) capacity-building project funded by the German Government’s International Climate Initiative (IKI), implemented by UN-Habitat in partnership with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Climate Change Commission (CCC), NEDA, and the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP).

Article by:  Knulp Aseo/LJ Fermano
Photos by: Ormoc City LGU/RDC VIII-IUDC Secretariat