Ang: Airport Project Did Not Cause Bulacan Flooding

MANILA, Philippines — San Miguel Aerocity Inc. (SMAI), the developer of the New Manila International Airport (NMIA), has pushed back against claims linking its airport development to the recent flooding in Bulacan province, asserting that the project incorporates long-term flood mitigation measures. SMAI stated that the NMIA is designed to protect both the airport and surrounding communities from the long-existing flood risks in the province's low-lying coastal areas. According to SMAI, extensive research, engineering studies, and hydrological modeling for the project, conducted by Danish international firm DHI, began as early as 2018. This process has taken years to address flooding. As the project transitioned to construction, Dutch marine engineering firm Boskalis and DHI developed an alternative to extensive river widening to address land constraints and avoid impacting mangrove areas. SMAI also reported continued maintenance of rivers around the airport, with San Miguel Corporation removing over 4.3 million metric tons of silt and waste from rivers in Bulakan town; the Bocaue, Guiguinto and Balagtas rivers; rivers in Malolos; the Obando, Meycauayan and Marilao rivers; and the Labangan-Angat River. However, the company emphasized that the measures being undertaken for the airport and surrounding areas should not be confused with the much larger challenge of managing flooding across Bulacan. "Protecting the airport and nearby areas and addressing Bulacan’s larger flooding problems are two separate challenges," the company stated. SMAI countered that claims circulating online linking the airport to recent flooding following weeks of heavy rains have not been accompanied by hydrological data, technical analysis, or any identified expert source establishing such a connection. "NMIA did not cause Bulacan’s flooding. This is a problem the province has had to contend with for many generations," the company asserted. "Our responsibility is to make sure the airport is built for these conditions, and that its development does not make flooding in the province worse." The company analyzed that flooding in Bulacan is driven by a combination of the province’s low-lying geography, heavy rainfall, river flows from upstream areas, limited river capacities, and land subsidence. Furthermore, it noted that rising sea levels and continued development across the province are also adding pressure to an already complex watershed. SMAI clarified that NMIA is not a reclamation project but a land development on existing, titled land in Bulakan that had long been used as commercial fishponds and had become increasingly prone to inundation over time. The company affirmed its commitment to continue implementing NMIA’s environmental and flood-mitigation commitments while working with government agencies and local governments on broader measures to improve river capacity and flood resilience across Bulacan.