‘Pepito’ leaves P30-M farm damage in Bulacan

CITY OF MALOLOS—Rice plants in more than 2,000 hectares of farmlands in 19 villages in San Miguel and Calumpit towns in Bulacan province were covered in floodwater caused by Tropical Storm “Pepito.”

Floods also hit some 30 ha of fish ponds, affecting 25 operators, according to Felicisima Mungcal, chief of the provincial disaster risk reduction and management office.

Damage in the two sectors was pegged at P30 million, Mungcal said.

Low-lying villages near Ipo and Bustos dams in Paombong town were also submerged in knee-deep flood when water was released in the watersheds and was worsened by the high tide on Tuesday.

Ipo Dam officials released water at 69 cubic meters per second when the stock at the reservoir reached the spilling level of 101 meters above sea level.

The water level at Bustos Dam also reached its 17.34-masl maximum mark that forced the National Irrigation Administration to release water at 375 cms on Tuesday.

Incessant rains also raised the elevation in Angat Dam by 11 meters on Thursday. The level was 191.59 masl, higher than the dam’s operating mark at 180 m.

WATER EVERYWHERE Nonstop rains caused many fish ponds in Paombong town, Bulacan province, to overflow on Wednesday, resulting in damage to the local fisheries sector estimated at P1.2 million. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

1,616 affected families

Pepito also affected 1,616 families or 5,730 people when it triggered strong rains and winds in Aurora and Nueva Ecija provinces, according to the regional disaster risk reduction and monitoring council in Central Luzon.

At least 45 villages in Pampanga province and one in Zambales province were also flooded. As of Thursday, the roads that remained impassable were Kalsadang Bayu in Masantol, Pampanga; Aurora-Nueva Ecija Road in San Luis, Aurora; portions of roads in Dipaculao, Dilasag and Casiguran towns in Aurora; and Baag Creek in Gabaldon in Nueva Ecija.

In Nueva Vizcaya province, landslides caused by the heavy downpour hit sections of Banihal-Napo Road and Bayombong-Ambaguio Road which remained closed to traffic.

Floodwater also rendered impassable San Jose-San Isidro Road and Bagunot and Abusag bridges, all in Baggao town, Cagayan province. —CARMELA REYES-ESTROPE, TONETTE OREJAS AND VILLAMOR VISAYA JR.