Marikina City has become an example of sustained flood mitigation, with residents saying conditions today are far different from the devastation brought by Tropical Storm Ondoy in 2009.
Ondoy caused the Marikina River to overflow after extreme rainfall, submerging communities and forcing thousands to evacuate. Since then, the city has strengthened river improvements, infrastructure, waste management, and disaster preparedness. These efforts were reinforced under former Mayor Marcelino “Marcy” Teodoro, while current Mayor Marjorie “Maan” Teodoro continues flood preparedness programs.
“The Ondoy flood level left a mark on our garage wall. It was around 8 feet high. Every year since then, it became our marker. Every year, we feared the flood would be higher. But it was the opposite. Every year, the flood level got lower,” a resident said in a public post.
River records show the highest level reached 22 meters during Typhoon Ulysses in 2020, surpassing Ondoy’s 21.5 meters. In July 2024, Super Typhoon Carina and habagat pushed the river to 20.7 meters. In July 2025, it breached the 18-meter third-alarm threshold. During the August 2026 habagat, it reached 15 meters, triggering only the first alarm.
“The public didn’t see that. They just knew that Marikina got flooded every typhoon season. Until last year, when the entire Metro Manila and many provinces were flooded, we remained almost flood-free,” the resident added.
A major part of the city’s flood protection is the DPWH’s Pasig-Marikina River Channel Improvement Project, supported by JICA. Phase IV has a budget of about ₱57.7 billion and includes river channel works, floodgates, pumping stations, embankments, and other structures along the Marikina River and Manggahan Floodway.
Phase IV is 53% complete and covers 7.95 kilometers of river works. DPWH said the project has reduced flood-prone areas in the Pasig-Marikina River Basin by about 63%.
Marikina maintains stricter waste management policies to keep garbage from clogging waterways and drainage systems. While the city remains vulnerable to stronger storms and heavy rainfall, residents who experienced Ondoy say the improvement is visible.
