SMC Resumes Flood-Mitigating River Cleanups in Bulacan

San Miguel Corporation (SMC) has resumed its large-scale river cleanup operations in Bulacan after completing a major two-year effort that removed more than 4.15 million metric tons of silt and waste from 74 kilometers of waterways from October 2022 to September 2024. The extensive work—undertaken at no cost to the government and without commercial gain for the company—significantly improved the flood-carrying capacity of major rivers flowing out to Manila Bay.

The new phase focuses on maintaining the depth and flow of rivers surrounding the future New Manila International Airport (NMIA), envisioned as the country’s largest and most modern gateway. According to SMC Chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang, the company’s Better Rivers PH teams have removed over 500,000 metric tons of silt and waste from a nine-kilometer stretch of the Maycapiz-Taliptip River and Bambang River over the past ten months. What used to be mostly knee-deep river channels now reach depths of more than three meters, significantly improving the natural flow toward Manila Bay.

SMC has also extended its cleanup activities to the Bagumbayan River in Bulakan town, where more than 91,000 tons of accumulated silt and waste have been cleared from 3.3 kilometers of the waterway. Ang explained that regular maintenance dredging is essential to preserve the gains from the company’s years-long flood mitigation work, ensuring that the increased carrying capacity of these rivers is sustained.

Ang noted that the rivers surrounding the NMIA play a crucial role in draining waters from eastern Bulacan toward Manila Bay, making continuous cleanup and deepening work vital not only for the airport but also for the municipalities within the Bulacan sub-river basin. Before SMC’s intervention, decades of accumulated silt and waste coming from upstream severely shallowed and clogged the Maycapiz-Taliptip, Bambang, and Meycauayan rivers. These waterways run through low-lying coastal areas—many of which sit below sea level—making them particularly prone to flooding. The NMIA site itself, an island surrounded by these rivers, had also submerged over time and was previously used as fishponds by former landowners.

In 2024, SMC removed over 1.5 million tons of silt from the three major rivers and cleared several upstream tributaries to ensure efficient water flow. These efforts have helped reduce flooding in Guiguinto, Marilao, Balagtas, Bocaue, and Meycauayan. However, heavy rainfall and multiple typhoons last year caused new siltation, prompting SMC to reactivate cleanup operations to maintain the rivers’ restored depth.

Ang emphasized that maintaining clean and flowing rivers is a long-term commitment integrated into the construction and future operations of the NMIA. Sustained flood mitigation for the airport, he said, will continue to benefit the surrounding communities and the rest of eastern Bulacan.

He clarified, however, that flooding in western Bulacan—including towns such as Hagonoy and Malolos—comes from an entirely different river system and is largely influenced by water releases or overflows from Angat Dam. While SMC has also undertaken dredging work in the Malolos Rivers, the Angat-Labangan River, and Pampanga River, these areas remain vulnerable when dam water levels rise.

SMC underscored that the flooding situation in Bulacan is shaped by interconnected factors such as rising sea levels, land subsidence from excessive groundwater extraction, inadequate drainage systems, and rapid upstream urbanization. These combined conditions continue to heighten the province’s susceptibility to severe inundation. According to the company, achieving permanent and holistic flood solutions will require sustained collaboration between national and local governments, the private sector, and local communities.