With over half a million residents affected by massive flooding, Senator Lito Lapid and local officials are calling on the national government to fund the annual dredging of the Pampanga River to prevent future disasters.
“The rivers are too shallow. We must start digging them out regularly,” Lapid said Friday while distributing 5,000 food packs to flood-hit towns including Sasmuan, Minalin, Sto. Tomas, Macabebe, and Masantol. He vowed to push for a dedicated Senate budget for the project.
The plea follows Pampanga’s declaration of a state of calamity, with over 224 barangays in 18 LGUs submerged due to nonstop monsoon rains and Typhoon Emong. Damage to agriculture and infrastructure is estimated at more than ₱640 million.
Governor Lilia “Nanay” Pineda and Rep. Anna York Bondoc-Sagum echoed the senator’s call, urging the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and National Irrigation Administration (NIA) to fast-track rehabilitation. Pineda showed DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan the erosion and breached dikes during an inspection in Lubao.
Bonoan admitted that desilting efforts are overdue and said the agency is reviewing proposals for both emergency and long-term flood control.
“The Pampanga River has become a bottleneck,” said Bondoc-Sagum, pushing for dredging equipment to be given directly to LGUs. “Let the municipalities handle them. This is not just about response—it’s about survival.”
Lapid warned that if no action is taken, severe flooding will become a permanent problem. “We can’t treat this as a seasonal inconvenience anymore. It demands immediate and sustained action.”
