CITY OF MALOLOS, Bulacan — A city and four towns in Bulacan province have been placed under a state of calamity due to the damages caused by floods brought about by the southwest monsoon or “habagat” in the past few days.
Mina Ingusan of the Provincial Public Affairs Office (PPAO) said the local governments of Meycauayan City and the towns of Hagonoy, Paombong, Calumpit, and Marilao declared a state of calamity in their respective jurisdictions.
Ingusan also said the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Bulacan is pushing for the declaration of a state of calamity for the entire province except for the town of Doña Remedios Trinidad.
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) reported that as of Tuesday, floods induced by the southwest monsoon rains have caused some PHP41.85 million in initial damage to farms and fishponds in the province.
A total of 1,096.10 hectares of fishponds in the province were affected by the floods, causing an estimated PHP33,812,517 in losses to 532 fishpond operators.
Likewise, the PDRRMO said that some 2,280.82 hectares of rice lands were inundated, causing an initial estimated damage of PHP8,033,726.78.
Edgardo Cabigao, barangay chairman of Caliligawan in Malolos, a coastal village along Manila Bay, confirmed that most of the fishponds in the coastal areas of Bulacan had been affected by the floods since Sunday.
“Most if not all of the fishponds in the coastal villages of Masile; Babatnin; Namayan; Pamarawan; and Kaliligawan, all in the City of Malolos, were submerged up to knee-high from its dikes,” Cabigao said.
The latest PDRRMO report showed that the number of villages in the province that went under water were City of Malolos, 48 barangays; Calumpit, 29; Hagonoy, 20; Bocaue, 16; Paombong, 14; Guiguinto 13; and Marilao with 11 barangays inundated from one-half foot to six feet deep.
Flooded villages in Obando numbered five; Balagtas, five; Baliwag, four; Meycauayan, three; Plaridel, one; and Bustos, one.
A total of 47 evacuation centers were also established in these flood-affected towns and cities, the PDRRMO said.
So far, no untoward incident has been reported by the PDRRMO. (Manny Balbin/PNA)
