Flood warning system. The Department of Science and Technology, through PAGASA, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) inaugurate the Cagayan de Oro River Basin Flood Forecasting and Warning System (FFWS) on April 4 at the PAGASA Mindanao Regional Services Division in Barangay Molugan, Misamis Oriental. The system aims to enhance flood forecasting and provide timely warnings to communities in the Cagayan de Oro River Basin. (Photo: DCC/PIA-10)
EL SALVADOR CITY, Misamis Oriental (PIA) — “The fears and uncertainties caused by past typhoons and floods are now met with science-based solutions.”
Science and Technology Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr. made the statement Friday, April 4, 2025, in a keynote speech during the inauguration of the 300 million peso Cagayan de Oro River Basin Flood Forecasting and Warning System (FFWS) which was funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The FFWS aims to monitor the hydrological conditions of the Cagayan de Oro River Basin (CDORB), a 1,521-square-kilometer area spanning 90 kilometers across Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon.
The system’s launch comes more than a decade after Typhoon Sendong (Washi) devastated the region in December 2011.
Sendong’s torrential rains triggered catastrophic flash floods and landslides, particularly in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan cities, resulting in over a thousand deaths and widespread destruction.
The disaster highlighted the region’s vulnerability to extreme weather and the need for improved flood forecasting and warning systems.
Solidum underscored the FFWS’s role in disaster risk reduction.
“This marks a significant step forward in disaster risk reduction and response, making sure that people’s lives and livelihoods are protected,” he said.
Considered the most advanced of its kind in the country, the system includes 13 telemetered rainfall and water level gauges, two X-Band radar sites and a backbone telecommunication network that will enable the CDORB Flood Forecasting and Warning Center to provide timely and accurate flood warnings to affected communities.
The system is connected to the PAGASA’s central office in Quezon City as well as the operations center of the Cagayan de Oro City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.
“This early warning system, equipped with state-of-the-art technology, will prepare our communities for flooding risks and other hydrometeorological hazards. It will empower communities and disaster risk managers with real-time critical information, enabling swift and effective responses,” Solidum added.
PAGASA Administrator Nathaniel T. Servando thanked the Japanese government and partner institutions for their support. He said the FFWS is a testament to the collective commitment to deliver reliable and relevant products and services to develop communities’ resilience to the hazardous effects of tropical cyclones, such as floods.
“With the concerted effort of both private and public organizations, the disastrous effects of tropical cyclones such as severe flooding can be prevented, particularly by reducing the risks to people’s lives,” Servando emphasized.
His Excellency Endo Kazuya, Japan’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, stressed the system’s benefits for low-lying communities along the CDORB, particularly on access to more timely, accurate and reliable flood warning information.
“The introduction of state-of-the-art technology, including additional X-band radars, rainfall gauging stations, and an upgraded telecommunication network, will further strengthen disaster preparedness efforts. More importantly, it will boost preventive measures that not only protect lives but also safeguard the livelihoods of the people of Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental,” Kazuya said.
The FFWS complements ongoing flood control efforts along the CDORB by the Department of Public Works and Highways. (APB/PIA-10)
