Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon expressed optimism that the long-proposed Manila-Bulacan-Pampanga-Bataan Coastal Road-Dike Project will finally move forward, with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) now assisting the agency.
Dizon made the announcement while leading the filing of cases against former officials of the Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office and contractors accused of irregularities involving flood control projects in the province.
The DPWH official explained that the ADB’s commencement of the project's feasibility study is among the first steps toward establishing the alignment or route of the coastal road-dike and securing funding for its implementation.
The project is officially known as the Manila Bay Integrated Flood Control, Coastal Defense and Expressway Project.
According to Dizon, residents of Bulacan, Pampanga, and Bataan have long awaited the project, which is expected not only to mitigate flooding caused by high tides in Manila Bay but also to provide an alternative route connecting Metro Manila to these provinces. Construction is estimated to take five years or more.
Bulacan Governor Daniel Fernando said the project represents a major step toward providing a long-term solution to the decades-old flooding problems experienced by residents of Calumpit and Hagonoy, particularly those living along the province’s coastal areas. He cited the success of flood-control dikes in Obando as proof of the effectiveness of such infrastructure. Since 2012, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has enclosed Obando’s coastline with dikes, resulting in the municipality remaining flood-free for more than a decade.
It can be recalled that the Regional Development Council (RDC) of Central Luzon recently approved and endorsed the Manila-Bulacan-Pampanga-Bataan Coastal Road-Dike Project, based on recommendations from the Department of Economy, Planning and Development. The proposal was first jointly presented to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in 2023 by Governor Daniel Fernando, then Pampanga Governor Dennis Pineda, and Bataan Governor Jose Enrique Garcia III during an RDC meeting in Malolos City. The governors again pushed for the project during another RDC meeting in San Jose del Monte City in 2025, eventually leading to its formal adoption and approval.
The project will complement the ongoing US$3.9-billion Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge Project, which is being financed by the Asian Development Bank with US$2.11 billion and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank with US$1.14 billion. Likewise, the Manila Bay Integrated Flood Control, Coastal Defense and Expressway Project will be among the major infrastructure initiatives to be implemented under the Marcos administration’s Build Better More Program.
