The system is used to monitor and predict effects of typhoons and floods.
Following recent widespread flooding in many parts of Luzon, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has infused a fresh PHP1 billion funding for Project Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (NOAH).
The said program, which is now under the University of the Philippines (UP) System, is seen to help bolster the government’s capacity to respond effectively to typhoons and floods made worse by climate change.
Launched in 2012, it has been a key Philippine disaster risk reduction and management program by having the capacity to monitor, assess, and respond to natural hazards.
Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the President directed the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), led by Acting Secretary Kim Robert de Leon, to release the funding to enhance the project through artificial intelligence (AI), real-time hazard monitoring, and predictive flood forecasting.
Castro said of the PHP1-billion allocation, PHP935 million was earmarked for research services, while PHP65 million was allocated for project management and administration.
Moreover, the funds will also be used to procure necessary equipment and technology and hire experts needed to implement the project.
Through AI-enhanced modeling, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) mapping, and data analytics, Project NOAH will also provide real-time information and forecasts on potential flooding and other hazards.
“Makakatulong din ang programa upang mas maagang makapaghanda at makakilos ang pamahalaan bago pa lumala ang sitwasyon,” Castro said.
The program also seeks to strengthen disaster management by shifting the focus from post-disaster response toward proactive risk reduction, prevention, and preparedness.
Thus, the initiative is also expected to help national government agencies and local government units make faster and more informed decisions, particularly when communities face impending disasters.
The initiative will likewise involve continued collaboration between the DBM and UP NOAH, including the use of disaster-risk information under Project DIME to assess the readiness and risks associated with government infrastructure projects.
Meanwhile, for his part, Mahar Lagmay, executive director of the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute (UPRI), noted that the additional funds will allow Project NOAH to focus on strengthening flood management, hazard monitoring, and disaster-risk-reduction systems.
He expressed his hopes that the government’s and told that the funding “will continue to transform scientific knowledge into practical action that protects lives and helps build safer, more resilient, and sustainable communities.”
Meanwhile, for its part, the Department of Public Works and Highways has begun laying the technical foundation for future, science-backed flood-management infrastructure to strengthen long-term disaster preparedness and climate-change-risk response nationwide.
Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon has ordered the updating of all flood-management master plans to protect Filipinos from massive flooding year after year.
To ensure these master plans reflect current climate realities, the agency is also collaborating with UP-NOAH, local government units, and key partner agencies to integrate detailed hazard mapping and scientific data before their implementation.
Lagmay said NOAH’s impact-based forecasting system is projected to forecast, one day in advance, where flooding may occur and its impact on roads, homes, buildings, and vehicular flow. “The P1 billion allocation for UPRI (UP Research Institute) will be measured by better information, transparency, evidence-based governance and decision-making, effective flood management, and reduced disaster risks and losses,” he said.
Lagmay said UPRI’s budget will fund high-resolution mapping of major river basins, hazard assessments, land-use planning, and Oplan Kontra Baha initiatives, in coordination with the DPWH, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, local government units, and private-sector partners.
The allocation will also support Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) drone topographic surveys, capacity-building programs with state universities and colleges, native tree mapping, sediment erosion assessments, mapping of hidden waterways, nature-based solutions, and the use of artificial intelligence and analytics for disaster-risk management.
