4 Bulacan towns fear Nueva Ecija 'back floods'

Already reeling from massive floods, at least four towns in Bulacan are bracing for "back floods," or floodwaters from nearby Nueva Ecija province. Provincial administrator Gladys Sta. Rita said Friday the "back floods" usually occur when floodwaters from Nueva Ecija, a province north of Bulacan, rush downwards. "May back flood, yan ay isang klaseng baha na umaapekto pagkatapos ng malawakang pag-ulan. Bumababa ito sa Bulacan, maapektuhan ang Pulilan, Calumpit, Hagonoy at Paombong (We're bracing for back floods that usually happen after widespread flooding. The floodwaters usually go down to Bulacan and affect the towns of Pulilan, Calumpit, Hagonoy and Paombong)," Sta. Rita said in an interview on dzRH radio. Paombong is a third-class town famous for its vinegar, extracted from the sap of sasa (nipa). It has a population of 41,077 people in 8,266 households. Hagonoy is a first-class town with a population of 111,425 people in 22,174 households. Calumpit is a first-class urban town with a population of 81,113 people in 16,167 households. Pulilan is a first-class urban town with a population of 68,188 people in 13,948 households. Only last Thursday, the provincial government declared a state of calamity after floods caused much damage to several of its towns and cities. But Sta. Rita said the provincial government declared classes resumed Friday. Meanwhile, Trade Undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya deployed several price monitoring teams to Metro Manila to check prices of basic goods. Radio dzBB reported that while Maglaya expects a slight increase in prices of goods from Centra Luzon, the monitoring teams will go after unscrupulous traders who jack up prices of goods. - GMANews.TV