AS FLOODWATERS in my beloved hometown Macababad continue to subside and people’s lives slowly begin to acquire a state of normalcy, my town mates’ frustration, anger, angst and collective gnashing of the teeth that were overwhelmingly prevalent just a week ago are also starting to lose steam, with the flames that burned brightly at the height of the devastating floods now being extinguished again by their apathy and indifference.
Antini tana mu ba talaga? Alang pamiyaliwa keng ningas cogon?
It is ironic how when a disaster or a calamity strike us, we become emboldened to question a broken system and demand accountability from our leaders. But the moment we start to receive relief goods, cash assistance, libreng sakay and various forms of ayuda complete with tarp and photo-ops, we revert to being complicit and willing accomplices to that same broken system.
Our local government must act now. The Philippine News Agency has reported that in August 2024, President Bongbong Marcos inaugurated the ₱7.57 billion Integrated Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation (IDRR-CCA) Project Stage 1. This project aimed to dredge and widen key tributaries—the Third River, Caduang Tete, Eastern Branch, and Sapang Maragul.
So now, the Macababad townsfolk must actively and consistently petition the national government to fast-track the proposed Phase II of the IDRR-CCA and the Central Luzon–Pampanga Floodway and San Antonio Swamp Ring Dike Project, an equally-important project designed to channel excess flow from Upper Pampanga River directly to Manila Bay via a 60-km, 400-m wide floodway.
As for another immediate step? Enforce the regular desilting at Pampanga Bay’s mouth and maintain channel gates and dikes all throughout the year – not only during the typhoon season.
In a news report by Punto CL, Governor Lilia Pineda has urged DPWH to prioritize clearing operations downstream to prevent backflow of floodwaters into Macabebe and Masantol.
Nanay Gov. explained that although the provincial government is doing its part, solving the problem requires inter-agency coordination and a serious investment from the national government. She added that the desilting must cover the 34-kilometer stretch of the Pampanga River, which covers the towns of Arayat, Candaba, Macabebe, Masantol, Lubao, and Sasmuan.
At the municipal level, local investments should include pump systems in low barangays, elevated roads in flood-prone corridors, and rehabilitation of drainage canals. Did you know that as of today, our town does not even have a working pumping station in place? Sad but true. In the many instances that millions were spent on elevating roads, the same cannot be said for pumping stations in key areas, and a regular desilting of river channels in Purmerung Tete, Caduang Tete, Mataguiti, and Candelaria.
Lest we forget, we need to integrate nature-based solutions: reforest upland watersheds, restore mangrove buffers along delta zones, and rehabilitate wetlands. These are strategies that are tested and proven to absorb tidal surges and reduce sediment load.
The time has come for us to end an era defined by passive spectators who turn devastating and painful flood season into humorous memes.
We should demand public disclosure on the funding and timeline of the IDRR-CCA Stage II project, require third-party audits of flood-control contracts, insist on quarterly updates on river-dredging progress and sluice gate repairs, and involve local groups and various sectors to monitor the maintenance of canals and waterways.
The next chapter for our town is rehabilitation—with long-term infrastructure, resilient environmental strategies, and bold citizen oversight. Only then can our community transform from “Macababad” into a model of climate-litigation resilience – and ensure that seasonal floods become a thing of the past.
