Ecija folk flee as Pantabangan Dam reaches 'terrifying' level

PANTABANGAN, Nueva Ecija, Philippines – Fifty families from this town fled their homes yesterday amid rampaging floodwaters spawned by heavy rains and reports that the water level at the giant Pantabangan Dam has reached what a National Irrigation Administration official described as a “terrifying” 2,190 cubic meters per second.

The floodwaters swept through the barangays of Sampaloc and Ganduz here with the dam’s water level less than a meter away from its spillway level of 221 meters.

Mayor Romeo Borja Sr. told The STAR that residents in nearby areas also face threats of severe flooding and have been advised to move out.

The Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) is on alert for the evacuation of more residents in Nueva Ecija – and Pampanga, too – with Pantabangan Dam expected to release more water.

Areas likely to be affected in Nueva Ecija are the towns of Rizal, Bongabon, Sta. Rosa, San Isidro, Cabiao, San Antonio, Jaen and Bayombong, and the cities of Palayan and Cabanatuan, said PNRC secretary-general Gwendolyn Pang.

Flood alerts were similarly hoisted in Pangasinan and in 26 towns and cities in Cagayan Valley as the San Roque and Magat dams, respectively, have continued to release water.

As of noon yesterday, six gates of the San Roque Dam had been opened, releasing 2,027 cubic meters of water. There were two subsequent releases at a 30-minute interval.

In Cagayan Valley, the Magat Dam is nearing its critical water level, prompting officials to continue releasing water amid the incessant rains brought by tropical depression “Pepeng” that has lingered over northern Luzon.

As of yesterday, the dam’s water level had reached 192.4 meters, nearing the critical level of 193 meters. Its inflow was 1,500 cubic meters per second while its outflow was only 1,300 cubic meters per second with the dam’s gate valves opened by five meters. 

Dam officials, however, downplayed the effect of the dam’s releasing water on flooding in the downstream northern Isabela and Cagayan, saying that flooding would depend more on the amount of water coming upstream from the Cagayan River than from the Magat River, the dam’s major source of water.

In Masantol, Pampanga, nine island barangays remained heavily flooded by the recent heavy rains and were isolated by strong currents from the Pampanga River, although this has been the situation there for many rainy seasons now.

This time, however, the residents are appealing to President Arroyo to finally build before her term ends next year, a bridge toward the town proper so rescuers and relief goods could reach them during calamities.

Meanwhile, in Ilocos Sur, Gov. Deogracias Victor Savellano ordered the preemptive evacuation of residents in Santa, Sta. Catalina, Cabugao, Caoayan and San Vicente towns as well as several coastal villages in the cities of Vigan and Candon due to rampaging waves from the swollen Abra River and China Sea. – With Mayen Jaymalin, Eva Visperas, Cesar Ramirez, Charlie Lagasca, Teddy Molina and Ding Cervantes