A Proposal for Water Tanks by the President of the Philippines
A Proposal for Water Tanks by the President of the Philippines
Amiel Gerald A. Roldan™
August 20, 2026
The proposed Manila/Metro Manila underground stormwater storage system (cisterns or detention tanks) is a detention-based flood control measure. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced on August 19, 2026 (after a situation briefing on Habagat-related flooding) that the government has identified 30 sites across Metro Manila for underground cisterns to temporarily store floodwater. Dutch experts assisted in site identification. Detailed engineering is targeted for completion within the month (August 2026), after which prioritization and excavation would begin. Officials are coordinating with site managers/LGUs for access.
This is framed as a longer-term complement to ongoing short- and medium-term efforts (dredging, larger drainage pipes, pumping stations, seawall upgrades). The government is also studying reuse of the stored water for household, industrial, or irrigation purposes rather than simply discharging it.
How the system works
These are **underground detention tanks/cisterns** (not primarily combined sewers). Excess stormwater is diverted into large subterranean reservoirs during heavy rain, relieving pressure on surface drains, streets, and waterways. After the peak, water is slowly released (pumped or gravity-fed) into rivers/creeks when capacity allows, or potentially treated/reused.
This follows the proven model under Burgos Circle in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Taguig:
- Depth: ~12 meters (roughly 4 storeys).
- Capacity: ~22,000 cubic meters (equivalent to about 8 Olympic-sized swimming pools, or ~22 million liters).
- Water is held and later released into a creek that feeds the Pasig River.
- Result: BGC experiences far less street flooding than surrounding areas.
Similar concepts exist elsewhere (e.g., large-scale underground discharge channels in Tokyo). The Dutch input aligns with the Netherlands’ expertise in water management below sea level, including polders and retention systems. Local private examples include large catchment basins under multiple SM malls (combined capacity reported around 85,000+ cubic meters).
Named or potential sites
Publicly mentioned examples among the 30 include:
- Rajah Sulayman Park (Manila)
- Rizal Memorial Stadium / complex (Manila)
- Camp Aguinaldo (Quezon City)
- University of Santo Tomas (UST) open field/grandstand area (Manila)
Earlier MMDA proposals (2025) focused on some of these same locations, with one UST concept sized around 72,000 cubic meters (intended to handle roughly double the typical flood volume on España Boulevard). Sites are chosen under existing open spaces, sports fields, or facilities to minimize new land acquisition in a dense urban area.
Potential benefits
- Peak flow reduction: Temporarily stores runoff so drainage systems and rivers are not overwhelmed all at once. This can lower flood depths and shorten duration in nearby low-lying areas.
- Space efficiency: Uses subsurface volume under already-developed land (fields, parks, stadiums), which is critical in Metro Manila’s constrained urban fabric.
- Complementary measure: Works alongside dredging, larger pipes, pumping stations (73 fixed + mobile units noted as operational), and upstream retention.
- Water resource angle: Possible treatment and reuse instead of pure discharge to the sea.
- Proven local precedent: BGC demonstrates it can work effectively when properly designed, maintained, and integrated with downstream outlets.
Urban planners and engineers have long advocated more detention infrastructure for exactly these reasons, given Metro Manila’s natural flood-plain topography, high impervious surfaces, land subsidence in places, and intensifying extreme rainfall under climate change.
Challenges and risks
- Site constraints and heritage: Dense urbanization limits available land. UST’s open field is a protected national cultural landmark (linked to papal visits and other history); earlier proposals faced resistance over structural risks to heritage buildings, disruption, and long-term impacts on the surface (e.g., grass viability over concrete). Similar issues could arise at other public/military or institutional sites.
- Capacity and scale: Individual tanks (even large ones) are finite. Extreme events (e.g., rainfall volumes compared to 50,000 Olympic pools in a short period, as referenced by Marcos) can still exceed storage if rainfall intensity and duration are extreme or if multiple systems fill simultaneously. The Facebook-style critique (“if it rains again, the stored water overflows → double disaster / ‘aquarium’”) reflects a real engineering concern if tanks are undersized, poorly connected to outlets, or not emptied promptly.
- Construction disruption and cost: Excavation under active facilities involves significant disruption, traffic/noise impacts, structural engineering challenges (especially near buildings or cultural sites), and high costs. Finding suitable locations has historically been cited as a major barrier by DPWH.
- Maintenance and operations: Requires reliable pumps, trash screens (garbage remains a major clogging factor in Metro Manila), regular cleaning to prevent mosquito breeding or siltation, and power reliability during storms. Poor maintenance can turn assets into liabilities.
- System integration: Detention alone is incomplete without adequate downstream capacity (rivers, pumping, outfalls to Manila Bay/Laguna Lake), upstream watershed measures, and solid waste management. Corruption and quality issues in past flood-control projects have eroded public trust.
- Geotechnical and environmental: Soil conditions, groundwater, seismic considerations, and potential effects on nearby foundations must be carefully studied.
Context within broader flood strategy
Metro Manila flooding stems from a combination of factors: extreme rainfall (now described by Marcos as closer to a “new normal”), silted waterways (after periods of limited dredging), clogged drains from solid waste, land subsidence, high impervious cover, and incomplete/integrated infrastructure. Recent government claims include reduced flood depths and faster recession in some areas due to recent interventions, though severe flooding still occurs.
The 30-site plan sits alongside other ongoing or proposed measures (drainage upgrades, spillway revival linking Laguna Lake to Manila Bay, continued pumping/dredging). Private-sector examples (SM malls, BGC) show decentralized retention can help locally.
Overall assessment
This is a technically sound and internationally validated approach for urban flood peak attenuation, with a successful local proof-of-concept in BGC. Scaling it to 30 sites under existing facilities is ambitious and addresses the land-scarcity problem better than surface basins alone. Success will depend on:
- Adequate sizing and hydraulic design for realistic extreme events
- Seamless connection to functioning outlets
- Rigorous maintenance and operations
- Transparent, high-quality construction (especially given past flood-control project issues)
- Integration with waste management, upstream storage, and land-use measures
It is not a standalone silver bullet. Without addressing capacity limits, maintenance, and the wider catchment, overflow or limited impact remains possible during the most extreme events—the core of public skepticism. Detailed engineering results, cost estimates, prioritized sequencing, and environmental/heritage safeguards will determine whether it delivers meaningful resilience.
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Amiel Gerald A. Roldan™' s connection to the Asian Cultural Council (ACC) serves as a defining pillar of his professional journey, most recently celebrated through the launch of the ACC Global Alumni Network.As a 2003 Starr Foundation Grantee, Roldan participated in a transformative ten-month fellowship in the United States. This opportunity allowed him to observe contemporary art movements, engage with an international community of artists and curators, and develop a new body of work that bridges local and global perspectives.Featured Work: Bridges Beyond Borders His featured work, Bridges Beyond Borders: ACC's Global Cultural Collaboration, has been chosen as the visual identity for the newly launched ACC Global Alumni Network.Symbol of Connection: The piece represents a private collaborative space designed to unite over 6,000 ACC alumni across various disciplines and regions.Artistic Vision: The work embodies the ACC's core mission of advancing international dialogue and cultural exchange to foster a more harmonious world.Legacy of Excellence: By serving as the face of this initiative, Roldan's art highlights the enduring impact of the ACC fellowship on his career and his role in the global artistic community.Just featured at https://www.pressenza.com/2026/01/the-asian-cultural-council-global-alumni-network-amiel-gerald-a-roldan/
He is a Filipino multidisciplinary visual artist, printmaker, painter, independent curator, researcher, writer, and cultural worker whose practice spans contemporary art, curatorial work, and cultural advocacy. He has been active in the Philippine art scene since the late 1990s and has worked with galleries, museums, artist-run spaces, and international cultural organizations.
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A multidisciplinary Filipino artist, poet, researcher, and cultural worker whose practice spans painting, printmaking, photography, installation, and writing. He is deeply rooted in cultural memory, postcolonial critique, and in bridging creative practice with scholarly infrastructure—building counter-archives, annotating speculative poetry like Southeast Asian manuscripts, and fostering regional solidarity through ethical art collaboration.
He has been active in the Philippine art scene since the late 1990s and has worked with galleries, museums, artist-run spaces, and international cultural organizations.His practice appears to represent several interconnected concerns:
Cultural work as artistic practice. Roldan has argued that the labor of curating, organizing exhibitions, teaching, documentation, and cultural administration should be understood as creative work rather than merely support work. This perspective has been reflected in his writings and exhibitions.
Social and political engagement. His artworks frequently address politics, religion, faith, denial, courage, social inequality, and the everyday experiences of Filipinos. He has stated that he draws inspiration from Filipino cultural practices while approaching painting, printmaking, and installation from a conceptual perspective.Printmaking and conceptual art. Roldan is particularly recognized for his printmaking, with works shown internationally, including exhibitions in Japan and France. His practice also encompasses painting, photography, installation, and curatorial research.International cultural exchange. A significant milestone in his career was receiving an Asian Cultural Council fellowship in 2003, which enabled him to undertake research and create work in the United States while engaging with artists and curators internationally.
More broadly, Roldan's work represents an attempt to bridge artistic production, curatorial practice, scholarship, and cultural activism . His writings often emphasize postcolonial discourse, cultural memory, and the ethics of artistic collaboration, positioning the artist not only as a maker of objects but also as a builder of cultural infrastructure.
In the Philippine contemporary art context, he can be understood as representing the figure of the artist-curator-cultural worker —someone who contributes both through making artworks and through developing exhibitions, mentoring artists, and fostering institutional and independent cultural initiatives.
Recent show at ILOMOCA
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Amiel Gerald A. Roldan™ started Independent Curatorial Manila™ as a nonprofit philanthropy while working for institutions simultaneously early on.
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