ABSTRACT
Serious flood losses in central Luzon in 1960 dramatized the need for control and regulation of the river systems to insure stability of future agricultural and industrial development. With the endorsement of the Philippine National Economic Council, the USAID/Philippines submitted a project proposal covering seven river systems. Studies of river basin development suggest that practically all phases of agriculture and local industry could be expanded under a program of development of water resources. Aquatic plants are commonly found in all bodies of water in the Philippines to a greater or lesser extent. The diverse nature of these habitats provides for a great many different ecological adaptations, but from the standpoint of control, these plants are simply classified as floating, submersed, and marginal. Control measures to date in the Philippines have been largely limited to mechanical devices such as floating booms, draglines, and manual removal of plants by hand and hand tools.
