BRBDP civil works may restart next year with Korean Exim Bank aid

The civil works for the Bicol River Basin Development Program (BRBDP), which was halted in 1986, could restart as early as next year with assistance from Korean Exim Bank.

DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan announced that preparations for detailed engineering designs will start by 2025 and civil works by 2026, aiming to address flood control and support depressed areas through farm-to-market road projects.

The project's masterplan was updated and completed in July, with the Korean Exim Bank providing financial assistance for both the feasibility study and detailed engineering designs.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has vowed aid to 'Kristine' victims in Bicol and plans to revisit BRBDP, noting that rainfall during Kristine was twice as heavy as Typhoon Ondoy in 2009.

The estimated cost of phase one for the short-term development is P30 billion, with medium- and long-term phases costing approximately P5 billion and P22 billion respectively, bringing the total preliminary estimate to around P75 billion.

DPWH continues to conduct de-silting and dredging operations in 18 major river basins across the country as part of ongoing flood control efforts.