Monsoon rain floods 86 villages in Bulacan, Pampanga

CITY OF MALOLOS, Bulacan, Philippines —At least 86 villages in Bulacan and Pampanga provinces were submerged in floodwater caused by southwest monsoon rains enhanced by Tropical Depression “Egay” on Monday.

Felicisima Mungcal, head of the Bulacan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said Army trucks were sent to Marilao town in Bulacan to fetch stranded commuters after some areas had been rendered impassable to light vehicles because of the flood.

The island villages in Pamarawan and Namayan and other villages in the City of Malolos were submerged in nearly a meter of floodwater. Aside from villages in Marilao and Malolos, 50 others in Bulacan were flooded.

Officials in 14 towns and cities in the province suspended classes in their areas.

Angat water rising

Water level at the Angat Dam reservoir continued to rise because of the rains since the weekend. On Tuesday, it went above the critical low level at 160.29 meters, up by 0.44 meters from Monday’s record of 159.91 meters above sea level.

The dam’s critical mark is at 160 masl while its minimum operating water level is at 180 masl.

In Pampanga, 34 villages in the towns of Lubao, Sasmuan, San Simon, Macabebe and Masantol remained flooded on Tuesday due to heavy rain and high tide, according to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC).

Gov. Dennis Pineda suspended classes from preschool to elementary in both public and private schools.

Earlier on Monday, classes from preschool to senior high school were suspended due to the flood and heavy downpour.

The PDRRMC also said two roads in Porac town were impassable because of soil erosion and falling rocks. —Reports from Carmela Reyes-Estrope and Tonette Orejas