Pray, save your families, heed warnings, Gov. Pineda tells Kapampangans

Pampanga Governor Lilia Pineda on Monday urged residents affected by severe flooding to pray, prepare their own family emergency plans, and not rely entirely on the government for their safety.

“Ang una po muna talaga, ang makakapagpigil 'yung ating Panginoon. Magdasal po tayo kasi po kalamidad na hindi naman natin kagustuhan. So sana po makinig lang po kayo sa mga abiso, 'pag may warning sumunod po tayo. Wala po tayong kailangang tanungin dito, dasal at makinig sa mga babala, sa mga warning," Pineda said in an interview with GMA News’ Unang Balita.

(First of all, the one who can stop this is God. Let us pray because this is a calamity that we did not wish for. We hope you will listen to the advisories and follow them when there is a warning. Pray and heed the warning.)

She urged residents to heed government warnings, prepare for emergencies and prioritize the safety of their families.

“I-save ninyo ang pamilya ninyo. Magplano na kayo, sa kanya-kanya ninyong pamilya. I-save ninyo 'yung mga pamilya ninyo, mga anak ninyo,” she added

(Save your family. Make plans for your respective families. Keep your families and your children safe.)

She further said the matter cannot be left to the government alone.

“Hindi ninyo puwede pong iasa sa gobyerno lahat dahil sa kadami po natin lahat, kailangan may plano rin kayo sa pamilya ninyo para ligtas po ang mga pamilya ninyo,” she added.

(You cannot rely solely on the government because there are so many of us here, you need to have plan to save your family.)

Hardest-hit province

Interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB, OCD Region 3 information officer Raymond Garcia said Pampanga is the hardest-hit province in Central Luzon amid widespread flooding.

He said Pampanga recorded 327 flooded barangays out of 608 across Central Luzon and around 95% of San Simon town was reportedly submerged in floods.

“Ang Pampanga po ang maituturing natin na parang hardest hit dito po sa Gitnang Luzon ngayon. Kasi po pagdating po sa flooded area, sila po ang nakapagtala ng pinakamaraming flooded barangays dito po sa Central Luzon,” Garcia said.

(Pampanga can be considered as the hardest hit here in Central Luzon. When it comes to the flooded area, Pampanga recorded the most number of flooded barangays in Central Luzon.)

Pineda said 17,300 Pampanga residents or 4,622 families had been moved to 270 evacuation centers amid prolonged flooding in the province, according to the governor. The figure did not include residents who remained in their homes despite the flooding.

The governor said the scale of the flooding has been unusual for parts of Pampanga, with water reaching even areas that normally do not experience flooding.

Lilia Pineda served as governor from 2010 to 2019 before becoming vice governor from 2019 to 2025, when her son, Dennis Pineda, served as governor.

In the 2025 elections, Lilia returned as governor while Dennis was elected vice governor, allowing the mother-son tandem to retain control of the provincial government.

The Pinedas have therefore continuously occupied the governor and vice governor positions in Pampanga since 2010, although the two have alternated between the posts. —AOL, GMA News