The Private Sector Advisory Council is urging the government to shift from responding to disasters after they occur to investing ahead of risks, calling for tougher construction standards, major flood-control measures, and faster approval of critical water projects.
During its eighth Infrastructure Sector meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., PSAC recommended full implementation of PNS 49:2026, stronger standards for earthquake-resistant reinforcing steel, and stricter testing of imported cement.
The council also proposed a Building Resilience Seal for homes and buildings that pass inspections for earthquake resilience, providing a visible standard for structures designed to withstand seismic risks.
PSAC cited the Department of Trade and Industry’s destruction in April of 12,500 metric tons of imported cement that failed strength and durability tests. It called for strict testing requirements to be enforced before imported construction materials reach the market.
“We should not wait for the next earthquake, flood, or drought. We need to act before it happens,” PSAC lead convenor and Aboitiz Equity Ventures President and CEO Sabin Aboitiz said.
For flood management, the council recommended clearing the Manggahan Floodway, pursuing the Parañaque Spillway, supporting waste-to-energy facilities, and creating a Department of Water Resources to coordinate flood control, drainage, drought response, and water supply.
“On flooding, we cannot solve it project by project. We have to look at the whole system,” Aboitiz said.
The council also called for earlier drought warnings and coordinated government intervention before reservoir levels reach critical levels. It urged simpler and faster permitting for critical water projects to accelerate the development of additional supply.
PSAC pointed to Metro Manila’s experience this year as evidence that investments made before a crisis can reduce disruption. New water sources, lower system losses, and improvements in storage and network management helped avert major interruptions even as Angat Dam’s water level fell to around 151 meters.
The council said the experience underscored the need to treat resilience as an economic investment rather than simply a disaster-response expense.
“Resilience does not happen by accident,” Aboitiz said. “We have to prepare and invest ahead of the need.”
For PSAC, the broader challenge is to make preventive investment part of infrastructure planning, ensuring that standards, water systems, flood controls, and other critical facilities are strengthened before extreme weather and natural disasters expose their weaknesses.
