26/07/2025
๐๐ก๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ฆ | ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฎ: ๐ ๐๐น๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ-๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐
Pampanga, long considered the soul of Central Luzon, has also made a name for itself for something far less glorious - its floods that are cruel and recurring. As of July 23, 2025, due to the combined effects of Tropical Cyclones Bising, Crising, Dante, and Emong, along with the enhanced Southwest Monsoon (Habagat), The statistics have shown a total damage to agriculture which has now reached more than Php 470 million, while livestock loss is worth Php 3.40 million. More than 527,000 individuals are reported to be affected, comprising over 160,000 households, from 224 barangays across 18 local government units. The province has been placed under a state of calamity five times in the past decade alone due to severe and consecutive flooding. Floodwaters crested up to five feet high during monsoon periods in low-lying areas, submerging homes, livelihoods, and communities.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐น๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด
Flood-prone Pampanga, in its natural and anthropogenic causes, suffers other calamities, if not natural disasters. The eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 is undoubtedly this province's densest episode in environmental history. Considerable amounts of the volcanic debris, or lahars, were deposited into the river systems surrounding the volcano and lay in wait for great devastation during eruption time.
To this day, they clogged waterways extensivelyโan estimated 75 percent of the Pampanga River system is silted even today. Consequently, the ability of the river to drain rain has been significantly impaired, leading to chances of overflow even when rainfall is moderate.
One significant factor of flooding is the backflow of water from Manila Bay. The pneumatic action of the sea level rising during high tide allows seawater to move inland and invade the coastal municipalities of Macabebe, Masantol, Sasmuan, and Lubao. The effects of tidal action can culminate in flooding when influenced by rain.
Another root cause is poor drainage infrastructure. Most older drainage systems of Pampangaโrivers, canals, and esterosโhave been destroyed, narrowed down, or blocked due to urban development, while the newer flood control infrastructures are either not enough or poorly maintained. This severely hampers the province's capacity to efficiently execute and manage surface runoff during heavy rains or storms.
๐ ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐น๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ ๐ฅ๐ถ๐๐ธ
Flooding in Pampanga is a common phenomenon, although the impacts differ from one municipality to another. The most affected towns are Macabebe and Masantol, San Simon and San Luis, Candaba, Apalit, Sto. Tomas, Minalin, Sasmuan, and Lubao, where extensive and frequent flooding occurs mostly through river overflow, swamp runoff, and tidal backflow.
In the second group are Bacolor, Guagua, Mexico, Arayat, and Sta. Ana and the City of San Fernando, where flooding is usually seasonal or from rains, and this is typically exacerbated because of drainage problems.
There are also places like Porac, Floridablanca, Sta. Rita and Magalang are low to medium risk, but flooding is usually restricted to poorly drained areas or more rural locations. Angeles City and Mabalacat City are both low-risk areas as they are situated in relatively high-risk areas.
Last but not least is Candaba. While inland, it is frequently inundated and is located within the Pinac de Candaba Swamp, a natural flood basin for some provinces. However, the lahar deposits have the streams and rivers clogged, which enhances the runoff from the towns of Bacolor and Guagua.
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ ๐ง๐ผ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ
Dredging and Widening of Rivers. The Pampanga River and its other tributaries need regular dredging and rehabilitation as they have lost their capacity to hold water, making it easy for the rivers to overflow. Dredging to remove silt and lahar will allow efficient water flows, which is needed during heavy rains.
Shoring the Natural Capacity of Candaba Swamp. Candaba Swamp was naturally a floodwater basin. This ecological service was forfeited due to illegal reclamation, agricultural intrusion, and destruction of wetlands caused by flooding events over time, which decreased the swamp's overall floodwater absorbing capacity. Candaba Swamp must be restored and protected from future encroachment to prevent further flooding downstream.
Upgrading Drainage Infrastructure. There is a compelling necessity to build new drainage canals, d**e structures, and pumping stations, especially in such towns as San Simon, Macabebe, and Masantol that get flooded on a regular basis. They will also work on enhancing existing systems to mitigate waterlogging in urban areas.
The National Flood Control Plan must be put into effect. The governance body created the National Flood Control Program with an amount of 351 billion pesos in the year 2024, under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s administration. This program will fund all major floodworks, from flood control to river basin management to enhancement of drainage structures and early warning systems for Central Luzon.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฅ๐ถ๐๐ธ
Flooding in Pampanga has metamorphosed from a seasonal inconvenience into a chronic environmental disaster, aggravated by negligence, faulty planning, and unfinished infrastructure. This inaction is worsening the denudation of lives and livelihoods and slowing the paths to development in the province. Unless there are coordinated intensive efforts from both the national and local governments, citizens of Pampanga will always be in an endless cycle of disaster and rehabilitation.
Sources: PAGASA, PDRRMO, DENR
Infographics by Lei Mark Rufino
