2026 Stormwater Summit concludes with urgent call for cooperation and climate-resilient infrastructure in the Philippines

As extreme weather events increasingly paralyze both urban and rural areas, the 2026 Stormwater Summit brought together relevant stakeholders from both the private and public sectors at Makati Shangri-La to discuss best practices.

The landmark event gathered policymakers, government officials, business leaders, and civic advocates to redefine the national approach to flood mitigation and climate adaptation.

Moving away from the typical reliance on reactionary disaster relief, the summit emphasized a paradigm shift toward proactive, watershed-based planning. Panelists tackled the urgent need to update stormwater management practices, adopt innovative approaches, and for everyone to work together to finally achieve the common goal of building resilient cities through smart water management.

Strengthening Preparedness

Honorable Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, Presidential Adviser for Sustainable and Resilient Communities, delivered the Opening Remarks, setting a decisive tone for the event. She emphasized on the importance of strengthening preparedness to mitigate potential problems.

“The summit comes at an important time for the Philippines and the Asia Pacific region. Across our region, communities are confronting risks of increasing scale and complexity — extreme weather, rapid urbanization, and environmental pressures are placing greater demands on the systems that support everyday life. Their effect extends far beyond demands, damage to infrastructure, for they disrupt livelihoods, interrupt economic activity, and place pressure on essential services as well as affecting the daily lives of millions of Filipinos, that is why protecting communities is not only about responding after destruction, it’s about reducing risks before it becomes a crisis, strengthening preparedness, and creating conditions for sustainable development to endure despite increasingly complex challenges,” stated Secretary Frasco.

Shared Civic Responsibility

Another important point of the summit was the shift from viewing flood control strictly as a government infrastructure issue to recognizing it as a shared civic responsibility. Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Ambassador Jose Sixto “Dingdong” Dantes delivered a powerful address on the culture of prevention and everyday vigilance by sharing his experiences working with government and civilians through the years.

“Flooding has become so familiar that we’ve come to accept it in our daily lives. That when it rains, we automatically think ‘Oh no, there’ll be a flood’. How did we become so accustomed to the consequences, that we accepted it as normal, when it doesn’t have to be.” Dantes pondered.

He then shared stories of his experiences as an actor, a television host, producer, navy reservist, a volunteer, and also the former Commissioner-at-Large of the National Youth Commission. “I’ve been privileged not only to portray different lives but also meet extraordinary Filipinos from all walks of life. In times of disaster, I witnessed something extraordinary, that Filipinos don’t wait to be told to care. One of our greatest strengths as a people is our instinct to genuinely help one another. But those experiences left me with a question? What if we can show the same commitment before a disaster, and not after?” Mirroring the sentiments of Secretary Frasco, Dantes noted, “Compassion is really powerful but it becomes transformational when people organize around a shared purpose.” As the ambassador of the OCD’s Panatag Pilipinas campaign, Dantes shared that their goal is not to scare people but to make preparedness part of Filipinos’ everyday lives, “Preparedness is not living in fear but living in confidence,” Dantes said.

Call for Stronger Collaboration

DPWH Undersecretary Charles Calima, shared valuable insights into the national approach to the country’s increasing stormwater management challenges, through his keynote address titled, Innovating Against the Flood.

“Every year our country experiences heavy flooding, to address this perennial problem,  President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. ordered us at the DPWH to ensure that flood control projects should work to the benefit of those who are most affected, living in these flood-prone areas, emphasizing that there should be no ghost or substandard projects,” shared USEC Calima.

One notable example of the DPWH’s efforts is the Oplan Kontra Baha program that aims to mitigate severe, heavy flooding in low lying areas, in partnership with local government units (LGUs) and the private sector. “We are calling for a stronger collaboration with LGUs, civil society, and the private sector. Water knows no boundaries, it follows the river basin irrespective of the river basin. This is not a problem of one agency alone. The intervention is not another structure, the intervention is coordination.”

Integrated Water Strategy

Looking beyond Philippine shores to a nation that has successfully turned its water vulnerabilities into world-class strengths, guests learned more about Singapore’s integrated water strategy that has effectively mitigated urban flooding. PUB, Consultants Pte. Ltd. Managing Director Mr. Ryan Yuen, gave a presentation titled, Building Resilience Drop by Drop: Singapore’s Stormwater Solutions and the Crucial Role of Earth Control Measures.

Expressing delight over USEC Calima’s call for a more integrated approach to stormwater management, Mr. Yuen shared that this has been their approach as well. As Singapore’s National Water Agency, PUB, ensures both a sustainable water supply and the proper management of coastal and inland flood resilience. He then shared at length Singapore’s strategies in water management, highlighting that reusing water over and over, is a key part of their strategy. He discussed several commonalities and distinct differences that the Philippines has with Singapore, like receiving intense amounts of rain and dense cities, hence, it is important to not overwhelm infrastructures, and the need for separate systems for water collection and wastewater management.

Adopting New Technologies

Focusing on the crucial role of the private sector. Infrastructure projects, when done right, are major contributors to stormwater solutions. Also from Singapore, CEO of Flexi Systems and FloodX, which also handles Dam Easy, Ms. April Yang, showcased available innovations protecting businesses, facilities, and homes through her presentation, Protecting Catchments & Waterways, Supporting Resilient Cities.

A Singapore-based engineering and water-technology company specializing in integrated environmental and digital solutions for stormwater treatment and erosion control management applications, Flexi Systems handles brands like Dam Easy and Flood X, servicing clients around the world, including the Philippines through its exclusive local distributor, Scottsdale Corporation.

During her session, Ms. Yang urged participants to explore innovative “solutions available out there,” highlighting Flexi System’s Earth Control Measures (ECM) compliant technologies. These measures represent critical site management strategies aimed at curbing soil erosion and preventing silt-contaminated runoff from entering public drainage systems and natural waterways. Key implementations of these strategies include perimeter cut-off drains, silt fences, and specialized systems for treating silty water. While progressive nations such as Singapore have successfully integrated ECM through rigorous siltation legislation, such frameworks have yet to be fully realized in the Philippines.

She showcased different products available under Dam Easy and Flood X. From Dam Easy’s adjustable flood barriers that are designed to fit securely into doorways and openings and Flood X’s various innovative flood defense solutions for coastal, industrial, public, commercial, and residential developments.

Facilitating the dialogue covering climate-resilient infrastructure, real-time monitoring, regulatory frameworks, and all-in-one integration strategies was Archipelago Media Editor in Chief, Mr. Andrew Masigan who also delivered the closing remarks.

“For a country that receives so much rain, we have not learned to manage water well. This is the great paradox of water management in the Philippines: we suffer because we have too much water, then we suffer again because we don’t have enough. Clearly something must change, and the discussions that we had today lead us in the right direction.”

By the end of the summit, organizers and attendees were able to discuss not only best practices but also the understanding that effective and sustainable stormwater management is only achievable through shared commitment and effort.

Stormwater Summit 2026 is presented by Archipelago Media and Approach Consultancy, with Media Partners BusinessWorld and The Philippine Star, supported by Dam Easy Flood Barriers, FloodX, Flexi Systems, and Craft House Enterprises. For more information on the Stormwater Summit please visit https://storm-watersolutions.com/.

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