After years of recurring floods and mounting climate risks, the Iloilo City Government is pivoting to a “Sponge City” urban strategy, embedding climate resilience into infrastructure planning as the city eyes full implementation by 2026.

City officials said the shift reflects a growing recognition that conventional drainage systems alone can no longer cope with intensified rainfall linked to climate change.

Instead of rapidly channeling floodwater away, the Sponge City model allows urban areas to absorb, store, filter, and slowly release rainwater, mimicking natural hydrological processes.

Mayor Raisa Treñas said the policy direction emerged from a City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) review late in 2025, which flagged worsening flooding incidents in several low-lying and built-up districts.

“This is about changing how the city is built,” Treñas said. “Flood control can no longer be an afterthought.”

From concrete to climate-adaptive design

Under the plan, the city will prioritize nature-based and climate-adaptive infrastructure, including permeable roads and sidewalks, rain gardens, green roofs, and rainwater harvesting systems in both public projects and future developments.

Urban planners said the approach will ease pressure on drainage facilities, reduce surface runoff during heavy rains, and help replenish groundwater—while also cooling urban heat and improving environmental quality.

The strategy departs from decades of reliance on hard engineering solutions that, officials admit, have struggled to keep pace with extreme weather.

Policy shift, not pilot project

City officials emphasized that the Sponge City framework is not a pilot initiative but is expected to guide land-use policies, zoning rules, and infrastructure investments moving forward.

The concept had earlier been pushed by Engr. Melvin Purzuelo, convenor of Green Forum Panay–Guimaras, who warned that failure to redesign urban spaces would leave Iloilo increasingly exposed to flood-related damage.

Treñas said the city will continue aligning climate adaptation projects with long-term development plans, stressing that disaster preparedness must now be structural, not reactive.

As extreme rainfall becomes more frequent, Iloilo City is betting that absorbing water—rather than fighting it—may be the only sustainable way forward.IMT