Disaster risk reduction program Project NOAH to receive P1 billion funding
The Philippines' disaster risk reduction program, Project NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards), is set to receive a P1-billion worth of funding after approval from Congress during the bicameral conference committee meeting.
The allocation of P1 billion for the project was agreed upon during deliberations of the P6.793-trillion 2026 General Appropriations Bill, headed by led by Senate finance chair Sherwin Gatchalian and House appropriations chair Mikaela Suansing.
Members of the House of Representatives proposed the increased budget to their Senate counterparts, with Negros Occidental Rep. Javier Miguel Lopez Benitez explaining that Project NOAH has made real-time, high-quality hazard maps that have been used by local government units.
"Ever since nangyayari po sa ating ang mga climate disasters, the (Project NOAH) website has had 35 million searches online; during peak times, 2.5 million searches a day," he said.
Since Project NOAH's existing maps were last updated in 2012, Benitez added that the surge in online searches for accurate flood information underscores the urgent need for the entire country to have updated and reliable hazard maps, especially during impending typhoons.
Suansing, meanwhile, said that once the project receives its funding, they are tasked to work closely with the Department of Public Works and Highways in terms of refining the way flood control projects are designed and monitored.
Project NOAH will also enable the simulation of a particular area to pinpoint where exactly a flood control structure should be built.
"Hindi na po magkakaroon ng pagkakataon na makapaglagay ng flood control project sa lugar na hindi naman talaga kailangan lagyan," Suansing said.
According to her, the project previously had a budget of P500 million, but this has since decreased to a meager P36 million in recent years. Despite this, she noted that it was still able to come out with accurate hazard maps that many Filipinos rely on.
Project NOAH is being implemented by the UP National Resilience Institute. The project’s website offers near real-time data, hazard maps, weather forecasts, and other critical information for public institutions to mitigate the impact of disasters.
Project NOAH executive director Mahar Lagmay, in a statement posted to Facebook, assured that the budget would be put to good use.
"We will work with urgency, discipline, and full accountability to ensure that every centavo of the P1 billion entrusted to us delivers meaningful and measurable value to the Filipino people," he wrote.
On Facebook, Benitez announced that the P1 billion budget for Project NOAH has been approved.
The Philippines was hit by several storms that devastated communities across the country in the past months. In November, for instance, the country experienced two consecutive Typhoons, Tino and Uwan, that caused massive flooding and damage in the surrounding areas.