Manila’s flood fight is getting corporate muscle.
Tollway operator NLEX Corp. has begun clearing major waterways in the capital, aligning with the government’s Oplan Kontra Baha program as authorities rush to reduce urban flooding before the rainy season.
Through its parent Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., the expressway operator has deployed crews to clean four key Manila waterways: Maligaya Creek, Estero de Tutuban, Estero de Sampaloc and Estero de Valencia.
The goal is straightforward: remove waste, improve water flow and help shield low-lying communities when typhoons intensify rainfall across the metropolis.
The Manila push expands earlier operations in Valenzuela and Meycauayan, where crews have been working since August 2025 using amphibious backhoes, barges and dump trucks.
Those efforts have already hauled out more than 500 truckloads of garbage and debris—an early sign, the company says, that targeted cleanups can ease clogged drainage corridors.
Under the program, NLEX will clear additional waterways across northern Metro Manila, including three sites in Valenzuela, seven in Caloocan and four more in Manila.
In total, the assignment covers more than 16,000 linear meters of waterways.
Nearly 200 personnel are being mobilized to reach narrow esteros and channels where garbage buildup and sediment slow the movement of stormwater.
For infrastructure operators, the campaign highlights a growing expectation: private concessionaires must help manage climate risk around the assets they run.
NLEX president and general manager Luis S. Reñon said coordinated action between government and the private sector is key to keeping transport networks resilient.
The cleanup drive could deliver benefits beyond flood control, protecting roads, nearby communities and the tollway’s own infrastructure from the mounting costs of extreme weather.
For NLEX, prevention may prove cheapest defense today.
