Residents blame Olongapo flood on solar farm; Aboitiz says project met DENR standards

Several residents in Olongapo City blamed the high floodwaters in their community during the Southwest Monsoon, or Habagat, on a solar farm project put up on the slopes of a nearby mountain.

According to Maki Pulido's report on “24 Oras,” severe flooding swamped Barangay Sta. Rita after a river overflowed near a bridge due to continuous heavy rains brought by the Habagat.

“Nilubog po kami nung pinakamalaking baha noong 2013 tsaka 2018, tas naulit na naman po ‘yan…siguro po ‘yung ulit ngayon kasi po siguro sa mga ginagawa nilang solar sa bundok,” said Lhen Maroto, a resident.

(We were submerged during the biggest floods in 2013 and 2018, and now it has happened again… perhaps this recurrence is due to the solar project they are building on the mountain.)

“Sana po matigil na ‘yung ginagawa nila na ‘yan para po sana hindi na mahirapan ’yung tao. Kasi kung wala po ‘yan ‘di rin naman po siguro magkakaganito eh,” she added.

(I hope they stop what they are doing so people won't have to suffer anymore. Because if that wasn't there, this probably wouldn't have happened.)

Residents said that while they had experienced flooding in the past, the water level reached an unprecedented height this time.

“Ngayon lang ’to nangyari. Dati wala naman eh. [Magmula] nung dumating yung solar na yan,” said Nick Cantillas, a resident.

(No, this only happened now—there was nothing like this before. It started when that solar farm arrived.)

The project blamed by residents is the 284-hectare Phase I of the Solar Farm Project of AP Renewable Corporation, owned by Aboitiz Renewables, Inc.

In 2022, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) approved Phase I of the project, and it was completed in 2025.

According to the advocacy group Pro-People Engineers and Leaders (Propel), satellite imagery suggests that thousands of trees were cut down for the project, which could potentially cause severe flooding.

“Dahil hindi na-absorb, so ito na ‘pag malakas ang ulan, ito na ngayon ;yung nalalaglag sa kalupaan kaya nagkakaroon ng mas baha kung panahon ng tag-ulan,” Rey Esguerra of Propel said.

(Because rain is no longer absorbed, heavy rainfall now falls directly onto the ground, leading to worse flooding during the rainy season.)

“Kung panahon naman ng tag-araw, natutuyo naman dahil wala namang, hindi narerecharge yung aating groundwater,” he added.

(During the dry season, the ground dries up because there is nothing to recharge our groundwater.)

Satellite imagery shows that the mountain was still green in 2023. A large portion of it has turned brown and is now covered with solar panels.

In a statement, Aboitiz Renewables, Inc. assured that the project was designed and built with measures to prevent contributing to local flooding.

“Our development and operations strictly comply with all DENR standards. We understand that Olongapo City being part of the Kalaklan River basin makes it naturally prone to flooding due to its location in a low-lying coastal plain,” the company said.

Increased runoff

DENR Region 3 refuted claims that many trees were cleared for the project.

Regional Director Martin Despi said only a few trees were cut down because the top of the mountain was mostly grassland.

He added that the mountain was not flattened; instead, the solar panels were installed to conform to the mountain's natural contour.

“Mga damuhan po ang majority ng area po nito. Hindi po dinisturb ang natural contour ng lupa, so sa pagitan ng mga solar panels, ma’am, open pa po rin ‘yan na bumagsak yung tubig at na-absorb ng grasslands natin ‘yung tubig,” Despi said.

(The majority of the area consists of grasslands. The natural contour of the land was not disturbed, so between the solar panels, it remains open for rainwater to fall and be absorbed by the grasslands.)

The DENR admitted that the environmental impact assessment had identified a potential surge of water from the mountain once the project was constructed.

However, it was approved because officials believed the potential flood risks could be resolved through engineering measures.

“Noong dumaan po ito sa proseso ng aplikasyon, nakitang merong potential impact ito sa volume ng tubig na maaaring makadagdag,” Despi said.

(When this went through the application process, it was identified that there was a potential impact on the volume of water that could add to runoff.)

“Kaya meron tayong mga kondisyon na sinet po diyan for the proponent to address ‘yung flood concern katulad ho ng paglalagay nila ng floodwater drainage, ‘yung pagtatanim ho nila ng punongkahoy,” he added.

(That is why we set conditions for the proponent to address flood concerns, such as installing floodwater drainage systems and planting trees.)

The DENR said it will investigate the incident, but added that flooding was likely given that rainfall volume in Olongapo City was 150% higher last Saturday.

Olongapo City Mayor Rolen Paulino Jr. echoed the DENR's sentiments. He noted that when they analyzed rainfall on the mountain, the speed and volume of water cascading down matched that of an adjacent mountain without solar panels.

GMA News has reached out to the Department of Energy and has yet to receive a response.

Aeta community

For the area's indigenous people, such as the Aeta community, flooding is not the only issue they face, but also a loss of livelihood.

Rica Torres of Mansaway said the mango and cashew trees they relied on for items to sell were cut down, and they also lost land where they could raise livestock.

“Sana po wala na pong bundok na makakalbo. Wala na pong kalikasan na masisira, kasi ang kalikasan may buhay din po sila eh, na maganda na yung ginawa ng Diyos para sa atin,” Torres said.

(I hope no more mountains are cleared. I hope no more nature is destroyed, because nature is alive too, and God made it beautiful for us.)

“Bilang katutubo, isa po kami [sa] nag-aalaga sa kalikasan—noon pa, sa mga ninuno pa po namin. Kaya sana po wala na pong mga katutubo na mapalayas sa aming lupaing ninuno,” she added.

(As indigenous people, we are among the guardians of nature—starting from our ancestors. So I hope no more indigenous people are displaced from our ancestral lands.) –Lyjah Tiffany Bonzo/NB, GMA News