Tycoon behind $15-billion new Manila airport offers flood solution at ‘zero cost’ to Filipino taxpayers: Here's his plan

Manila: Unfairly blamed for devastating floods by critics, tycoon Ramon Ang is now stepping in with an ambitious promise: to help fix the problem without charging Filipino taxpayers a centavo.

At 71, the engineer-turned-executive and president of San Miguel Corp. (SMC) is offering a bold move at a time when public anger over wasted billions on ghost and substandard flood defences runs high.

SMC recently announced a landmark partnership with the provincial government of Laguna, just south of Manila, to dredge and rehabilitate heavily-silted rivers.

The project, billed as a crucial step toward easing recurring floods in the province, will be carried out entirely at the company’s expense — with no financial burden on either the local or national government.

The initiative, forged with Governor Sol Aragones, aims to deliver lasting flood mitigation for the province, where recurring inundations have plagued communities and livelihoods, as per Philippine News Agency. 

"The only solution is dredging. If we're given authority by Governor Sol Aragones to solve it, the solution we want is to solve flooding in Laguna for the next 50 years. We will help clean it up annually," Ang, 71, said in a video.

"If you notice, when we cleaned up those rivers (in Laguna province), flooding on the SLEX (South Luzon Expressway) is gone during the latest typhoon this 2025,” he said.

SMC, the Manila-based corporate behemoth founded in 1890, has also committed not to seek any tax incentives or financial support in return — an unusual stance in an era where corporate deals often come with strings attached.

"This will be at no cost to the local or national government. We won't even ask for tax credits," he added, in the presence of Aragones.

Corruption drains 20% of the annual budget (₱1.2 trillion or $13.35 billion yearly) due to infrastructure overpricing and underdelivering, per the Ombudsman.

In flood control alone, ₱42.3-₱118.5 billion was lost from 2023-2025, according to the Department of Finance (DoF), dampening GDP growth by preventing 95,000-266,000 jobs and exacerbating climate disasters (e.g., leptospirosis surges from unbuilt flood defences).

At the heart of the plan: the dredging of heavily-silted water channels and the widening of all narrow waterways in the province by roughly 30% of their current width.

During heavy rains, this is a critical step in restoring the natural flow of water and preventing overflow. 

SMC is leading infrastructure projects in the country, including the under-construction $15-billion New Manila International Airport in Bulacan.

Listed SMC has presence in 83 countries around the world, and employs more than 53,000 people, the Asian nation's biggest private sector employer.

The company has interests in energy, infrastructure, real estate and beverages, operates 36 manufacturing plants in 29 countries and maintains a network of offices and subsidiaries to serve customers globally.

Regular maintenance and debris clearing will also be “institutionalised” to ensure the infrastructure remains effective long-term.

The announcement has been widely welcomed as an example of private-public partnership anchored not on profit, but on impact.

Public fury has boiled over, with a senior official stating that corruption had claimed 70% of public funds allotted for flood control.

No Philippine official has gone to jail over the ineffective, overpriced flood defences exposed in on-going livestreamed inquiries.

The agreement with SMC is to be formalised via a memorandum of agreement (MOA).

Among identified problems: many riverbanks in Laguna have protective walls whose excavated soil gets dumped back into the river, choking waterways, increasing siltation, reducing depth, and amplifying flooding risk.

SMC’s “Better Rivers PH” programme already has experience with cleaning rivers and waterways in Laguna (San Pedro, Biñan – Tunasan River, San Isidro River), Metro Manila, Bulacan, Pampanga, etc. 

In 2023, Ang’s mega airport project was blamed for worsening floods in Bulacan, allegedy due to mangrove loss and altered drainage.

There's a more damaging cause: corruption in flood-control projects in which billions were lost to ghost dikes, padded contracts, and unfinished drainage under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), especially in Bulacan province.

The scam has implicated several senators and congressmen in alleged mega-kickbacks, and has caused many heads to roll at DPWH.

Turns out the real reason Bulacan sinks is not just new construction, but years of ghost flood-control projects.

SMC has been funding dredging and flood defences, especially in Pasig River and its tributaries though these won't suffice to make up for the billions of pesos lost to corruption.

Following are the potential benefits of the SMC-led solution:

Increased river capacity 

Widening and dredging increases how much water rivers can carry. During heavy rains or typhoons, rivers that are shallow or clogged can spill over more easily. Deepening helps reduce overflow.

SMC’s previous work (e.g. Tullahan, Pasig, San Juan, etc.) has shown measurable increases in depth and capacity, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Reduced siltation

By removing silt and debris, the flow improves, which helps rainfall runoff exit faster rather than backing up. This is especially useful in low-lying areas where backflow or overflow accumulates.

No immediate cost to taxpayers/government:

This lowers political resistance and can enable faster implementation. 

Maintenance is built in

The agreement includes annual river maintenance, which is critical — many past river cleaning/dredging efforts fail because once the initial work is done, upkeep isn’t sustained.

Challenges

Scope vs scale: Laguna is large, with many rivers, tributaries, drainage systems. Widening all narrow rivers by 30% is significant, but floods are caused by multiple tributaries, topography, rainfall intensity, upstream land use, drainage systems, and backflow from Laguna de Bay etc. If upstream drainage, soil erosion, or improper development aren’t addressed, flooding can still happen.

Silt comes back

Without controlling sources of siltation (erosion upstream, construction, dumpings, river walls putting soil back), rivers will gradually resilt again. Maintenance helps, but if upstream practices remain uncontrolled, the problem recurs.

Policy, permits, coordination

River widening/dredging often involves land rights, environmental permits, house/building encroachments, flood control infrastructure, coordination between multiple LGUs, and sometimes national agencies. These can slow things down or complicate implementation.

Extreme weather / climate change

With heavier rains, more frequent typhoons, sea level rise, and extreme events, even expanded river capacity might not be enough. Flooding might still happen (though perhaps attenuated).

Laguna Lake & downstream constraints

Laguna’s rivers drain into Laguna de Bay. If the lake is already high (e.g. due to heavy rain, high watershed runoff), or if there’s backflow, or if outlets are blocked, widening/rivers alone may not suffice. Also, the lake itself may need management (lake dredging, water level regulation, upstream inflows).

SMC’s solution with Laguna is a large-scale and well-funded initiative that addresses one of the major contributing causes of flooding: silted, narrowed river channels.

If implemented well and sustained, it will significantly help reduce flooding in many parts of Laguna, especially in areas where overflowing rivers are the primary cause.

However, it is not a silver bullet. 

To truly solve flooding, this project must be part of a broader integrated flood management strategy: controlling upstream erosion, ensuring good land use practices, maintaining drainage infrastructure, dealing with lake/laguna-lake water level, handling climate change impacts, enforcing regulations, and ensuring coordination among multiple jurisdictions.