Parts of Bulacan village under floodwaters for a year now

With or without the rains, parts of a barangay in Calumpit, Bulacan remain flooded, and residents are appealing to the government for help.

In Raffy Tima’s report on “24 Oras”, the people of Barangay Meysulao in Calumpit have endured flooded streets for more than a year. 

The said barangay is considered a catch basin where water flows from the upper areas of Bulacan. Hence, the barangay easily gets flooded during high tide. 

“Kapag tumungtong yung December, natutuyo na po ‘yun unti-unti. Tapos summer, tuyong-tuyo na po pati kalsada. Pero ngayon hindi na po natuyo. Last year po, hindi na po natuyo,” said Wilson Balagtas, a resident of the barangay. 

(Every December, the water subsides gradually. Then every summer, the roads are completely dried up. But the roads have been underwater since last year.) 

A barangay official said that Meysulao Sapa Pumping Station is working. But because the water has nowhere to go, the officials sometimes choose not to operate the pumping station, the report added. 

“Yung gobyerno po natin, sana mapansin po ito at magawan ng paraan. Kahit papaano ay mabawasan man lang yung tubig, masaya na kami doon,” said Balagtas. 

(I hope our government will take a look at this and do something about it. I hope that the flood water will somehow be lessened and we would appreciate that.) 

Meanwhile, several areas in Bulacan were hit by up to chest-deep floods amid the continuous rainfall affecting several parts of the country. 

According to Joseph Morong’s report on “24 Oras” on Monday, floodwaters found their way into homes in Guiguinto due to the high tide and the downpour on Sunday. 

“Lahat ng gamit namin nakataas na sa higaan namin. Kami po halos wala ng matulugan dahil nakataas po lahat ng mga gamit,” a resident shared. 

(We put all our stuff upstairs. It’s now hard for us to look for something to sleep on as our items are on the second floor.) 

Other residents in Guiguinto also use various methods, such as makeshift rafts, just to cross the thigh-deep waters. 

In Calumpit, classrooms were not spared by the floods while some residents used boats as a mode of transportation. 

Residents in Calumpit said that floods in some areas in the town are already chest-deep or beyond the average human height. 

“Sa amin, pagpasok pa lang sa amin, lampas tao na. Bago pa lang bumaha, nagsimula na kami mag-akyat,” said resident Rexon Fortunado. 

Meanwhile, the water in Balagtas is only leg-deep, the flood is still an inconvenience to many commuters, even those in tricycles. 

Some residents in Bulakan are temporarily seeking shelter in schools and churches. —Vince Angelo Ferreras/LDF, GMA Integrated News