Wedding pushes through despite floods at Barasoain Church in Bulacan

A wedding proceeded at the Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan, even as the venue was submerged in floodwaters.

According to Mark Salazar’s report on “24 Oras” Tuesday, the flooding began the previous night with the water level being significantly higher then, but had since decreased.

The couple, Jamaica and Jao Aguilar, chose to push through with their ceremony, stating that rescheduling the wedding would be a bigger hassle than navigating the floods.

“Matagal na po 'tong inaantay ng lahat. Nandiyan naman na din po kami, let’s do this na po, sabi namin. Thank you po sa aming bisita. ‘Yung ulan po, blessing po ni Lord,” Jamaica said.

“Naging blessing na rin naman po talaga eh kasi mas naging unique po. Saka po mga taga-Navotas po kami, ayan po. Sanay po sa baha. Hanggang dito po sinundan po kami ng baha,” Jao said.

Outside the church, many areas in the center of Malolos were also submerged in floodwater, but commerce continued, as residents stated they could not afford to wait for the floods to subside.

Residents of Barangay Vicente anticipate the floods will likely last about a week, and being accustomed to the conditions, they are not easily disgusted by the dirty water, though they are aware of dangers like leptospirosis.

In areas like Barangay Mabolo, floodwaters reached chest-deep level, but no one evacuated because residents are accustomed to such conditions.

In Bulacan’s low-lying areas, flooding is often not primarily caused by local rainfall, as the water frequently originates from Manila Bay, with high tide being the biggest contributor, prompting daily monitoring of water levels by the meter.

“Nagsimula kahapon na 3.7, ngayon 4.1 at inaasahan natin hanggang Biyernes po ‘to,” PDRRMO Bulacan Head Ret. Col. Manuel Lukban said in an interview on Super Radyo DZBB.

“Habang sa araw-araw po, kahapon alas-sais, alas-siyete, alas-otso, alas-nuwebe, alas-diyes, tumataas naman po ito nang 3.7, 4.1, 4.3, 4.6, 4.7, hanggang 4.8,” he said.

As of the latest count before noon, approximately 4,000 families in Bulacan province had evacuated the previous night, though they are gradually returning home, with no injuries reported across the entire province.

—Carby Rose Basina/CDC, GMA Integrated News