NAGA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday, February 21, met his closest and most bitter rival in two national elections, Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo, in a coliseum named after her husband (whose passing led to her own political career) and located along Benigno and Corazon Aquino Avenue.

A simple and somber welcome greeted the President on Saturday at the Jesse M. Robredo Coliseum (JMRC) here. The meeting’s atmosphere carried the expected tension of high-security protocols and a hint of awkwardness, given the two public officials’ history of political rivalry.

Yet the President insisted there was no talk of politics during the visit. He said the visit was intended to brainstorm solutions for the flooding problems in Naga City and the rest of Camarines Sur.

“Alam mo, hindi namin pinag-uusapan ‘yun. Alam mo, I think the mayor will agree with me na serbisyo muna bago politika (You know, we don’t talk about that. I think the mayor will agree with me that it’s service first before politics). The most political thing that we did today: I wore my pink socks…. My pink socks, in honor of Mayor Leni,” Marcos said.

Marcos’ visit came days after Vice President Sara Duterte announced her 2028 presidential bid. Ahead of Saturday, Robredo denied discussing an alliance with Marcos.

“Ang tigsasabi baga kaya sakuya dapat mag-decide. Haloy na ako naka-decide (Others have been telling me that I should decide. I had decided a long time ago),” Robredo said on Friday, February 20.

EX-RIVALS. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo share a light moment as they discuss the Jesse M. Robredo Coliseum’s history and its vital role in Naga City’s disaster resilience. Photo by Reinnard Balonzo/Rappler

The former vice president, who lost in her 2022 presidential run to Marcos, said she was firm in her promise to prioritize Naga for the rest of her term.

Robredo won the city’s mayoral race in a landslide victory in May 2025, following her husband’s footsteps and also making history as Naga City’s first female mayor.

Apart from visiting the JMRC, the President was also in Naga on Saturday to inspect the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) Oplan Kontra Baha, launched in February to clean the city’s bodies of water, including its drainage system.

Marcos also turned over a special allotment release order worth P500 million for the rehabilitation of the JMRC.

On Naga’s flood problems

Marcos and Robredo on Saturday visited flood control projects in the Sagup and Magaya-gaya creeks in barangays Triangulo and Concepcion, both covered by the Office of the President and Naga City’s Oplan Kontra Baha.

“We are here to try and find solutions to this very important problem, the very critical problem that we have not only here in Naga City but also in CamSur and, for that matter, for the whole of Bicol. That’s what we are concentrating on,” Marcos said. “Kung sino ang nangangailangan ng tulong (Whoever is in need of help), the national government is here to help.”

FLOOD CONTROL. Comparative contract costs for flood control projects (2022–2024): Camarines Sur (L) totaled P15.7 billion, while Naga City (R) was allocated P283.3 million over the same period. Chart by Reinnard Balonzo/Rappler; Data from DPWH aggregated by Rappler.

Naga was one of the most heavily affected cities by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine‘s onslaught in 2024. The city received over P283.3-million budget for flood control projects from 2022 to 2024 — this, on top of Camarines Sur’s P15.7-billion flood control budget for the same period. (READ: Over 1.4 million affected by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine in Bicol)

For John Aton, a resident of Triangulo in Naga, the President’s visit was a good opportunity for the locals to air their concerns about flooding to the national government.

“Napaka-worse talaga kasi grabe rito ang pagbabaha. Halos lubog na ang buong Triangulo. Sana ‘yung flood control dae na pagkurakuton. Para kay President Marcos, sana maayos ang problema sa baha and maayos na ang pagpapatupad ng flood control projects,” Aton shared.

(The floods here are really at their worst. Almost the entirety of Triangulo was submerged. I hope the funds for flood control won’t be corrupted anymore. For President Marcos, I hope the flooding problem gets fixed, and flood control projects are implemented properly.)

ASSISTANCE. Marcos awards a P500-million SARO for the rehabilitation of the JMRC to the Naga City government on February 21, 2026. Photo by Reinnard Balonzo/Rappler

Marcos attributed the worsening floods to the widespread construction of both public and private projects, climate change, and the silting of the Bicol River Basin.

“Ang sinasabi nga ni Mayor Leni is that many of the places na dati naman ay hindi binabaha, nandiyan na rin ‘yung effect ng climate change, kaya this is what we are trying to remedy,” Marcos said. “Malaking trabaho ito. It will take time, but marami na tayong mga intervention na p’wedeng gawin, such as the pools that we are going to put up.”

(According to Mayor Leni, many places not prone to flooding are now being affected. The impact of climate change is evident, and that is what we are trying to remedy. This will take a lot of work. It will take time, but there are many interventions we can implement, such as the retarding pools we are going to put up.)

RELIABLE HAVEN. A tarpaulin displayed outside the coliseum shows the various evacuation and relief operations held at the JMRC during previous calamities in Naga City. Photo by Reinnard Balonzo/Rappler

– Rappler.com