THE METRO Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the local government of Manila have revived a decade-old proposal to dig out a rainwater catch basin under the UST Field to address chronic flooding.
Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso and MMDA Chairman Romando Artes trooped to UST on Aug. 27 to propose the construction of a 72,000-cubic-meter water impounding facility at the open field and grandstand, a protected national cultural landmark.
The facility, Artes said, would hold twice the estimated volume of flooding on España Boulevard, at 36,000 to 37,000 cu. m., assuming a water level of half a meter.
The MMDA chief told reporters the agency would soon send a definitive proposal to UST, including an offer to turn the first level of the catchment into a parking area.
“Susulat kami within the week with a definitive proposal dahil nag-offer po kami na ‘yong first level ng catchment ay pwede gawing parking ng mga sasakyan sa UST,” Artes said.
Should the project proceed, Artes said it would be funded by the MMDA and not the Department of Public Works and Highways, which has recently been under fire for corruption-plagued flood control projects.
Artes assured UST that the agency would take charge of the maintenance and sanitation of the UST Field, which was declared a national cultural treasure in 2010.
“[D]ahil ito ay heritage at conservation site, in-assure po namin ang UST na ibabalik po namin ‘yong kanilang field, kung hindi man sa dati, sa mas maganda pong state,” Artes said.
In an interview with the Varsitarian, Fr. Dexter Austria, O.P., director of the Facilities Management Office, said the University made no commitments during the meeting at the Rector’s Hall.
“We just listened to their proposal. No commitments. And we discussed several mitigation efforts with LGU (local government unit) Manila alongside their proposal,” he said.
The proposal first caught national attention in 2015 when President Benigno Aquino III mentioned in his State of the Nation Address that a “big university” had opposed the plan. The late ex-president did not mention UST.
The open field and grandstand is the site of four historic papal visits: St. Paul VI in 1970, St. John Paul II in 1981 and 1995, and Pope Francis in 2015.
Apart from the open field, the UST Main Building, the UST Central Seminary building, the Arch of the Centuries, and the UST Baybayin Documents were declared national cultural treasures by the National Museum in 2010.
UST eventually built storm drains under Araullo, Arellano, Osmeña, Quezon, Leon Ma. Guerrero, Ceferino Gonzales and Leon Maria Guerrero drives in 2020.
The detention ponds are capable of taking in 11,000 cu. m. of storm water.
Artes said he was optimistic UST would agree to the project this time, noting that the school’s willingness to entertain a letter requesting a meeting regarding the proposal was a positive sign.
“The mere fact that, upon writing a letter requesting for a meeting about it, in-accomodate po tayo ng UST, that means siguro na open sila doon,” he said.
In a Facebook post, Domagoso said the project would mitigate flooding, especially in flood-prone UST.
“Ang UST ay isa sa mga eskwelahan sa University Belt na madalas maapektuhan ng pagbaha, lalo na bilang isa sa pinakamatandang unibersidad sa bansa,” the social media post by the Manila mayor read.
“Sa pamamagitan ng proyektong ito, inaasahang makakatulong nang malaki ang pasilidad sa pagtugon sa suliranin ng baha, lalo na sa mga darating na panahon,” it added.
