The Community-Based Flood Mitigation Management Program (CBFMMP) for the Province of Bulacan is a non-structural flood mitigating means that encompasses hydrological monitoring, information exchange and flood warning, and the disaster preparedness and response phases as applied to a locality or a sub-basin area within the Pampanga River Basin area, particularly the river systems within the Bulacan province. It was conceived by the Pampanga River Flood Forecasting and Warning Center (PRFFWC) and generally funded by the Provincial Government of Bulacan.

he system is composed of a network of rainfall and water level monitoring stations and flood markers located strategically within the subject area and a local (dedicated) communication system for data and information transfer between the monitoring stations, the municipal/barangay disaster action teams, and the operations center (provincial capitol and PRFFWC). The system shall be manned by trained volunteer personnel of the municipality and/or barangay area concerned. The social and moral responsibilities of the LGU’s as well as of the local inhabitants in terms of disaster mitigation aspects shall be enhanced through continued exchange of information, dry-runs and drills, and regular disaster information (PID’s, etc.) activities and the positive attitude of the PDCC personnel. This hopes to ensure the sustainability aspect of the program.

The cost of the system, amounting to some P 250,000 worth of monitoring instruments, field surveys and installations included, and partly some local communications lines have been shouldered by the Province of Bulacan through the PDCC with FFB, PRFFWC in particular, providing the technical aspect of the program and training. The system is composed of 7 water level monitoring stations that have been set-up along the Angat River (will act as a main back-up monitoring and warning points during excess reservoir releases from Angat & Ipo Dams). Three other river monitoring stations cover the other active tributaries within the province and one in a major channel of the Pampanga River. Four rain gages were installed at strategic locations within the province particularly in the eastern sections of the area close to the Sierra Madre mountain range. Some 12 flood markers were placed in the flood-prone areas of Hagonoy and Calumpit municipalities to complement the system.

River cross-sectioning for river dynamics to handle flood warnings were carried out as part of the program’s early warning stage. The training of the volunteer municipal/barangay observers immediately followed after the hydrographic works. This is, actually, the most critical part of the program. The effectiveness of the system will rely mainly on the observer’s training comprehension. The operation of the system is expected to start before mid-year of 2006 in preparation for the rainy season.

The program will augment the present monitoring system of the PRFFWC, particularly in the mid-eastern parts of the basin. It practically provides additional data support for the Candaba swamp and other flood-prone areas of the Province of Pampanga. Although the program does not have any of that state-of-art technology being used nowadays, except probably the means of communication, its sustainability and continued operations shall mainly be dependent on the dedication, commitment and trust of the province on a non-structural flood mitigating system that they can operate and call their very own and the continued support of the PRFFWC and its interaction with the PDCC-Bulacan.