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🇵🇭 Manila

EFCOS: Metro Manila's Flood Telemetry and Floodway Gates

🤖 AI-generated summary · ◆ 7 sourced claims · 🔎 Last verified

This overview was generated with AI from the public sources listed below and checked against them before publication. It has not had a complete human fact-check — treat it as a starting point and follow the sources.

7 sourced claims on this page, none individually verified yet — turn on “Sources in the text” to see each one.

How this atlas is made · What “last verified” means · What “source-checked” means · The full record behind this page

✎ Updated 22 Aug 2026 Publication date recorded for 9 sources. What changed →

Metro Manila publishes its river levels minute by minute, and says its gauges give 90 minutes of warning. The flood defences they warn about became the country's biggest corruption case — 421 projects flagged as ghosts.

Outcome🔄 Ongoing
Evidence🏛️ Official
what does this mean?The strongest source is the operator's or the city's own reporting — an official report, dataset or press release. It grades who did the looking — not how well the project went. All four grades →
Run byMetropolitan Manila Development Authority (EFCOS unit), with PAGASA publishing the readings
Scale🗺️ Regional
FundingJapanese development aid for the telemetry and its 2014-2016 restoration; MMDA operating budget

Part of 1001 Smart Cities — 1,167 documented projects · 🏙️ 9 more in Manila · 🌊 Flood resilience guide · 🌱 Environment projects

The MMDA's Effective Flood Control Operation System, built with Japanese aid in 1993 and rehabilitated by JICA in 2014-2016, telemeters rainfall and river levels across the Pasig-Marikina basin from a control room at Rosario Pumping Station. Readings publish live on PAGASA's basin site with alert, alarm and critical thresholds. Crews decide how many Manggahan Floodway gates to open, keyed to the Sto. Niño gauge upstream. The defences those gauges warn about are another matter: a 2025 government validation flagged 421 flood-control projects nationwide as ghosts, and in May 2026 the Ombudsman charged a senator, a former public works secretary and two Metro Manila district engineers with plunder.

Live 📅 since 1993

📊 Impact

The MMDA says mountain rain gauges give roughly 90 minutes of warning before water levels rise in the Marikina and Pasig rivers. An operator statement, not independently measured.

🎓 Lesson

Sensing and concrete are procured, funded and audited separately. Metro Manila measures its floods in public, minute by minute, while the works those measurements warn about became the country's largest corruption case.

🌱 EnvironmentFlood resilienceWaterSensors & IoTSafety & security

Sources

↗ PAGASA — Pasig-Marikina-Tullahan flood forecasting and warning system (water level)Primary and live: publishes real-time river levels for the Marikina, Pasig and Tullahan with alert, alarm and critical elevation columns and a legend distinguishing PAGASA stations from MMDA stations. Rendered with a 26 July 2026 timestamp, confirming the system is running.
↗ Official Gazette — MMDA flood reduction measures in Metro ManilaGovernment briefing establishing that EFCOS is designed for operating the Manggahan Floodway and the Napindan Hydraulic Control Structure, fed by telemetered observation stations with units at the public works central office, PAGASA, Napindan and Rosario, plus warning posts along the floodway. Direct fetch returns 403; existence and wording confirmed via search.
↗ Inquirer — Metro gets a tweaked early flood warning system (2016)Supports the JICA-funded 2014-2016 rehabilitation, the March 2016 turnover to the MMDA, the control base at Rosario Pumping Station in Pasig, and the roughly 90-minute lead-time claim, quoted from the MMDA chairman.
↗ De La Salle University — thesis on the Manggahan and Napindan control structuresAcademic source for the operating practice: the MMDA bases gate control of the Manggahan and Napindan structures on the Sto. Niño water-level gauge upstream of the Rosario weir, supporting the claim that gate operation is a crewed decision on gauge thresholds rather than automatic actuation.
↗ SunStar — timeline of the flood control scandalPublished 29 October 2025Dated chronology: the president ordered an audit of three years of flood-control projects in his 28 July 2025 address; on 11 August 2025 he named 15 contractors holding over 100 billion pesos in contracts since 2022; an Independent Commission for Infrastructure was created by executive order on 11 September 2025; Senate hearings opened 19 August 2025.
Show 4 more sourcesShow fewer
↗ Rappler — at least 421 ghost flood control projects uncovered nationwide (9 Oct 2025)Source for the 421 figure: validation of about 8,000 public works projects, carried out with the defence department, armed forces, police and the planning agency, flagged at least 421 as non-existent, with roughly 100,000 projects still to be validated.
↗ GMA News — 14 of 421 ghost flood control projects confirmed non-existent (19 Jan 2026)Counterweight and precision check: the acting justice secretary told a Senate hearing that only 14 of the 421 were confirmed non-existent, adding that the department was not yet convinced the others were ghost projects. This justifies the word flagged rather than confirmed in the snippet.
↗ GMA News — Ombudsman files plunder and graft cases over flood control projects (28 May 2026)Updated 28 May 2026The Metro Manila link that carries the scope: charges cover roughly 573 million pesos in alleged kickbacks from fiscal 2025 public works projects in the National Capital Region, naming a senator, a former public works secretary, two National Capital Region district engineers and an assistant district engineer. Charges only; no conviction.
↗ Manila Bulletin — anti-graft court orders arrests in the plunder case (1 Jun 2026)State of proceedings as of mid-2026: the anti-graft court found probable cause and ordered arrests on 1 June 2026, with no bail recommended on the plunder count. Trial pending.

📅 How old is the evidence?

Two clocks, kept apart: when this entry’s sources were published, and what has happened to its record in the atlas. Documented span: since 1993. 3 of 9 sources carry a publication date, from 29 October 2025 to 1 June 2026.

When the sources were published

  1. SunStar · pressSunStar — timeline of the flood control scandal
  2. GMA News · pressGMA News — 14 of 421 ghost flood control projects confirmed non-existent (19 Jan 2026)
  3. Manila Bulletin · pressManila Bulletin — anti-graft court orders arrests in the plunder case (1 Jun 2026)

Every source, with links ↑

What happened to this record

  1. Sources last read
  2. Entered the record
  3. Publication date recorded for 9 sources

Every revision, permanent →

Show your work What this page rests on and what it can’t tell you · all 7 claims with their sources · the forensic record

Evidence Passport · public beta 7 addressable claims, 9 source dossiers, one permanent baseline. The passport is unreviewed — an AI-assisted structural migration, not a human or expert endorsement. Every revision keeps a permanent copy under revision history.

Inspect the claims, one by one — verbatim text, sources and caveats for all 7

The text below is copied verbatim from the published record. Each claim names the source dossiers that carry it; caveats stay attached to the claim they qualify.

Claim 1 clm-6774b626101cc5a0 quantitative
The MMDA's Effective Flood Control Operation System, built with Japanese aid in 1993 and rehabilitated by JICA in 2014-2016, telemeters rainfall and river levels across the Pasig-Marikina basin from a control room at Rosario Pumping Station
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The government briefing establishes that the system is designed for operating the Manggahan Floodway and the Napindan Hydraulic Control Structure, fed by telemetered observation stations with units at the public works central office, the weather bureau, Napindan and Rosario, plus warning posts along the floodway. The 2016 press account supports the aid-funded 2014-2016 rehabilitation, the March 2016 turnover to the authority and the control base at Rosario Pumping Station in Pasig.
Caveat
The government briefing returns an error to direct fetching; its existence and wording were confirmed via search.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Official Gazette — MMDA flood reduction measures in Metro Manila
  2. Inquirer — Metro gets a tweaked early flood warning system (2016)
Claim 2 clm-d40fc3d2d354c605 descriptive
Readings publish live on PAGASA's basin site with alert, alarm and critical thresholds
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The weather bureau's site publishes real-time river levels for the Marikina, Pasig and Tullahan with alert, alarm and critical elevation columns and a legend distinguishing its own stations from the authority's. It rendered with a 26 July 2026 timestamp, confirming the system is running.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. PAGASA — Pasig-Marikina-Tullahan flood forecasting and warning system (water level)
Claim 3 clm-7e0f7ddea8046dfe descriptive
Crews decide how many Manggahan Floodway gates to open, keyed to the Sto. Niño gauge upstream
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The academic account of operating practice records that the authority bases gate control of the Manggahan and Napindan structures on the Sto. Niño water-level gauge upstream of the Rosario weir — a crewed decision on gauge thresholds rather than automatic actuation.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. De La Salle University — thesis on the Manggahan and Napindan control structures
Claim 4 clm-9b9c3109a847735c quantitative
a 2025 government validation flagged 421 flood-control projects nationwide as ghosts
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
A validation of about 8,000 public works projects, carried out with the defence department, armed forces, police and the planning agency, flagged at least 421 as non-existent, with roughly 100,000 projects still to be validated.
Caveat
The word is flagged, not confirmed, and deliberately so: in January 2026 the acting justice secretary told a Senate hearing that only 14 of the 421 were confirmed non-existent and that the department was not yet convinced the others were ghost projects.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Rappler — at least 421 ghost flood control projects uncovered nationwide (9 Oct 2025)
  2. GMA News — 14 of 421 ghost flood control projects confirmed non-existent (19 Jan 2026)
Claim 5 clm-0b9055a22797d476 quantitative
in May 2026 the Ombudsman charged a senator, a former public works secretary and two Metro Manila district engineers with plunder
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The charges cover roughly 573 million pesos in alleged kickbacks from fiscal 2025 public works projects in the National Capital Region, naming a senator, a former public works secretary, two National Capital Region district engineers and an assistant district engineer. On 1 June 2026 the anti-graft court found probable cause and ordered arrests, with no bail recommended on the plunder count.
Caveat
Charges only; no conviction. Trial pending.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. GMA News — Ombudsman files plunder and graft cases over flood control projects (28 May 2026)
  2. Manila Bulletin — anti-graft court orders arrests in the plunder case (1 Jun 2026)
Claim 6 clm-93faf163c46875dc quantitative
The MMDA says mountain rain gauges give roughly 90 minutes of warning before water levels rise in the Marikina and Pasig rivers
Published field
impact · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The roughly 90-minute lead time is quoted from the authority's chairman in the 2016 account of the rehabilitated system.
Caveat
An operator statement, not an independently measured figure — the entry says so.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Inquirer — Metro gets a tweaked early flood warning system (2016)
Claim 7 clm-4d06f3299a3d0e3b descriptive
Metro Manila measures its floods in public, minute by minute, while the works those measurements warn about became the country's largest corruption case
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this passport
What the mapping says
The live basin site publishes river levels against alert, alarm and critical thresholds. Against that, the chronology records the president ordering an audit of three years of flood-control projects on 28 July 2025, the naming of 15 contractors holding over 100 billion pesos in contracts since 2022 on 11 August 2025, an Independent Commission for Infrastructure created by executive order on 11 September 2025, and Senate hearings from 19 August 2025 — with plunder charges following in May 2026.
Caveat
The measuring and the works are separate procurements by separate bodies; the entry draws the contrast without asserting that one caused or concealed the other.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. PAGASA — Pasig-Marikina-Tullahan flood forecasting and warning system (water level)
  2. SunStar — timeline of the flood control scandal
  3. GMA News — Ombudsman files plunder and graft cases over flood control projects (28 May 2026)
Forensic record — source dossiers, gaps, hashes and the exact revision this page renders

This layer records what is known about each source, what is still missing, and the exact snapshot this page is rendering. A missing date, archive or hash stays visible as missing.

unreviewed Revision 2026-08-21-source-dates effective 2026-07-26 · created 2026-08-22

Awaiting operator and domain-expert review; publication of this revision implies neither.

sha256:c0d57f526ff25c47715df46269961d93867b8fd5e1b64f388dec8ffaf2a5cd76
Revision history → Permanent version link → Machine-readable record → Evidence Constitution →
7
of 7 claims mapped
9
source dossiers
4
publication dates recorded
0
archives linked
0
exact locators
0
content captures hashed

Governance facts carried by the record

Operator
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (EFCOS unit), with PAGASA publishing the readings
Actor types
regional-government, national-government
Funding model
mixed
Funding description
Japanese development aid for the telemetry and its 2014-2016 restoration; MMDA operating budget
Cost
Not recorded
Ownership
Not recorded
Decision rights
Not recorded
Exit conditions
Not recorded

9 source dossiers

PAGASA — Pasig-Marikina-Tullahan flood forecasting and warning system (water level) pasig-marikina-tullahanffws.pagasa.dost.gov.ph · 2 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-84ac08de89a28c6b
Publisher
Name not classified · pasig-marikina-tullahanffws.pagasa.dost.gov.ph
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-07-26
Dossier created
2026-08-22
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Primary and live: publishes real-time river levels for the Marikina, Pasig and Tullahan with alert, alarm and critical elevation columns and a legend distinguishing PAGASA stations from MMDA stations. Rendered with a 26 July 2026 timestamp, confirming the system is running.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Official Gazette — MMDA flood reduction measures in Metro Manila officialgazette.gov.ph · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-cafa7999c0b865ca
Publisher
Name not classified · officialgazette.gov.ph
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-07-26
Dossier created
2026-08-22
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Government briefing establishing that EFCOS is designed for operating the Manggahan Floodway and the Napindan Hydraulic Control Structure, fed by telemetered observation stations with units at the public works central office, PAGASA, Napindan and Rosario, plus warning posts along the floodway. Direct fetch returns 403; existence and wording confirmed via search.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Inquirer — Metro gets a tweaked early flood warning system (2016) newsinfo.inquirer.net · 2 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-e61a10c60e4b1bce
Publisher
Name not classified · newsinfo.inquirer.net
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-07-26
Dossier created
2026-08-22
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Supports the JICA-funded 2014-2016 rehabilitation, the March 2016 turnover to the MMDA, the control base at Rosario Pumping Station in Pasig, and the roughly 90-minute lead-time claim, quoted from the MMDA chairman.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
De La Salle University — thesis on the Manggahan and Napindan control structures animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-e57337c04525ea93
Publisher
Name not classified · animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-07-26
Dossier created
2026-08-22
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Academic source for the operating practice: the MMDA bases gate control of the Manggahan and Napindan structures on the Sto. Niño water-level gauge upstream of the Rosario weir, supporting the claim that gate operation is a crewed decision on gauge thresholds rather than automatic actuation.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
SunStar — timeline of the flood control scandal sunstar.com.ph · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-9422ae45f92d5d79
Publisher
Name not classified · sunstar.com.ph
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2025-10-29
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-07-26
Dossier created
2026-08-22
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Dated chronology: the president ordered an audit of three years of flood-control projects in his 28 July 2025 address; on 11 August 2025 he named 15 contractors holding over 100 billion pesos in contracts since 2022; an Independent Commission for Infrastructure was created by executive order on 11 September 2025; Senate hearings opened 19 August 2025.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Rappler — at least 421 ghost flood control projects uncovered nationwide (9 Oct 2025) rappler.com · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-323d75a01dcae344
Publisher
Name not classified · rappler.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2025-10-09
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-07-26
Dossier created
2026-08-22
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Source for the 421 figure: validation of about 8,000 public works projects, carried out with the defence department, armed forces, police and the planning agency, flagged at least 421 as non-existent, with roughly 100,000 projects still to be validated.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
GMA News — 14 of 421 ghost flood control projects confirmed non-existent (19 Jan 2026) gmanetwork.com · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-b1972d487c57e979
Publisher
Name not classified · gmanetwork.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2026-01-19
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-07-26
Dossier created
2026-08-22
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Counterweight and precision check: the acting justice secretary told a Senate hearing that only 14 of the 421 were confirmed non-existent, adding that the department was not yet convinced the others were ghost projects. This justifies the word flagged rather than confirmed in the snippet.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
GMA News — Ombudsman files plunder and graft cases over flood control projects (28 May 2026) gmanetwork.com · 2 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-9067a22c35d4ec2d
Publisher
Name not classified · gmanetwork.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
2026-05-28
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-07-26
Dossier created
2026-08-22
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

The Metro Manila link that carries the scope: charges cover roughly 573 million pesos in alleged kickbacks from fiscal 2025 public works projects in the National Capital Region, naming a senator, a former public works secretary, two National Capital Region district engineers and an assistant district engineer. Charges only; no conviction.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Manila Bulletin — anti-graft court orders arrests in the plunder case (1 Jun 2026) mb.com.ph · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-269df8a693044748
Publisher
Name not classified · mb.com.ph
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2026-06-01
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-07-26
Dossier created
2026-08-22
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

State of proceedings as of mid-2026: the anti-graft court found probable cause and ordered arrests on 1 June 2026, with no bail recommended on the plunder count. Trial pending.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Known limits of this passport
  • Publisher names and source languages have not yet been classified; domains are recorded without guessing.
  • Existing source notes are descriptive locators, not page- or paragraph-exact citations.
  • A missing archive, publication date or content hash is shown as null rather than inferred.
  • The project-level evidence grade ranks the strongest source in the entry; it is not a truth score for every claim.

Continue exploring

Compare this project

🇹🇭 Bangkok Flood Control Centre: Drainage Telemetry & Street-Level Forecasting · Bangkok The same crewed reflex: Bangkok forecasts flood depth and still starts its pumps by hand; Manila's crews open floodway gates on a gauge. 🇯🇵 Tsunami-Alert Automatic Tide Gate Closure · Osaka Osaka's gates shut themselves on a national alert; Manila's crews decide how many Manggahan gates to open against an upstream gauge. 🇰🇷 Busan Urban Flood Warning System (Busan Safety ON) · Busan Busan's portal warns and stops there; Manila's telemetry publishes the same live thresholds, then crews act on them at the floodway.

Explore the wider context

📟 A Reading Is Not a Decision📖 Flood early-warning system📖 Automated speed enforcement (speed cameras)📖 District metering area (DMA)
📎 Cite this project

1001 Smart Cities (2026). “EFCOS: Metro Manila's Flood Telemetry and Floodway Gates” — Manila, Philippines. The Smart City Atlas. https://1001smartcities.org/projects/manila-flood-monitoring/ (last verified 2026-07-26). Data: CC BY 4.0.

The underlying data is free to reuse with attribution — see the open data page.

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