The House of Representatives has proposed a substantial P1 billion allocation for Project NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards) as part of the ongoing Bicameral Conference Committee deliberations for the P6.793-trillion 2026 General Appropriations Bill.
This initiative aims to revitalize the nationwide disaster risk assessment program and integrate its data into national infrastructure planning.
Nueva Ecija 1st District Representative Mikaela Suansing, who heads the House contingent, announced the proposed increase during a live-streamed bicameral conference hearing on Saturday.
Project NOAH, which maps areas highly susceptible to floods, landslides, and storm surges, was originally launched in 2012 under the Department of Science and Technology but was defunded in 2017.
It has since been operating with limited resources under the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute.
Suansing emphasized that the P1 billion addition, while lodged under the UP System, is intended for the benefit of the entire country and various agencies, particularly the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
By providing adequate funding, the House is requiring Project NOAH to collaborate more closely with the DPWH to enhance the design and monitoring of flood control projects.
The House appropriations committee chairperson explained that the program promised that with sufficient resources, it could actively assist the DPWH in the engineering process.
This collaboration would enable the program to “simulate a particular area and pinpoint exactly, up to the coordinated level, where a flood control structure should be placed.”
This push for increased funding follows a September meeting between Speaker Faustino Dy III and Project NOAH executives.