Widespread flooding hits Pampanga, Bataan

EROSION THREAT Floodwaters erode the side of a mini-dam at Barangay Sta. Rita in Lubao, Pampanga, prompting the Department of Public Works and Highways to reinforce the structure with sandbags as seen in this photo taken on Wednesday. The province was placed under a state of calamity on Thursday as more than 200 of its villages were flooded. —PAMPANGA PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—The provinces of Pampanga and Bataan have also been placed under a state of calamity following widespread flooding triggered by three tropical cyclones and monsoon rains, which displaced thousands of residents, submerged hundreds of villages, and caused extensive damage to agriculture and infrastructure.

Typhoon “Emong” (international name: Co-may) and Tropical Storm “Dante” (Francisco) continued to enhance the southwest monsoon, or “habagat,” resulting in heavy rains in a large part of Luzon, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) reported on Thursday.

The Pampanga provincial board approved Resolution No. 9405 on Thursday, declaring a state of calamity after mayors, during an emergency meeting convened by Gov. Lilia Pineda, recommended the move.

Pineda, who chairs the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, endorsed the declaration, which came as 54.10 percent of the province’s population (527,648 people) had already been affected by flooding in 272 out of 505 barangays as of Thursday.

Worst-hit

The worst-hit areas include the towns of Masantol and Macabebe, located at the mouth of the Pampanga River draining into Manila Bay.

Other affected areas include Magalang, Guagua, Lubao, Sasmuan, Sta. Rita, Arayat, Bacolor, the City of San Fernando, Mexico, Sta. Ana, Apalit, Candaba, Minalin, San Luis, San Simon and Sto. Tomas.

At least 3,785 people from 1,122 families in Pampanga have sought shelter in evacuation centers, mostly in multipurpose halls.

Damage to crops and livestock was pegged at nearly P470 million. The Department of Public Works and Highways and the National Irrigation Administration also estimated about P170 million in damage to slope protection of nine dikes and one bridge in the towns of Lubao, Floridablanca, Guagua, Bacolor, Mexico and Mabalacat City.

Pineda renewed her 2010 recommendation to desilt the 34-kilometer stretch of the Pampanga River from the province to its mouth in Manila Bay, citing this as a long-term solution to Pampanga’s perennial flooding.

She also said she would push for amendments to Republic Act No. 10121, or the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010, arguing that the 5-percent disaster fund currently allocated by local governments is no longer sufficient amid worsening climate change impacts.

Emergency funds

In Bataan, the provincial board also declared a state of calamity on Thursday, following the recommendation of Gov. Jose Enrique “Joet” Garcia III.

The declaration enables the provincial government to access emergency funds for the repair of damaged homes and flood response.

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office reported that 44,740 families, or 167,078 people, were affected by the floods, with 1,731 families (5,923 people) still staying in evacuation centers as of Thursday.

Among the hardest-hit areas were the towns of Hermosa, Abucay, Dinalupihan, Samal, Orani, and the provincial capital, Balanga City.

Earlier on Wednesday, at least eight local governments in Bulacan and Pangasinan also declared a state of calamity due to severe flooding caused by continuous rains, high tide and dam-water releases.