Marcos: Clogged Sto. Cristo Dam in Pampanga caused flooding in nearby areas

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said the Sto. Cristo Dam in Pampanga was clogged by debris and logs, causing floodwaters to change course and damage a nearby wall.

Marcos made the remarks after inspecting the situation in Lubao town, one of the areas affected by widespread flooding.

“Hindi naman pala na-damage yung dam. Kung hindi, ang nangyari nabara dahil hindi basura kundi yung debris, mga troso na siguro pinagpuputol sila na illegal lagi sa taas, bumababa rito,” Marcos said.

(It turns out the dam itself was not damaged. Instead, it was clogged not by trash but by debris and logs, which may have come from illegal logging operations upstream and were carried down here.)

“Nabara ngayon yung dam. Umikot yung tubig. Kaya yung nakita natin na bahay na nahulog sa ilog dahil nga umikot yung ilog. Umiwas na doon sa dam, gumawa na ng sariling daanan dito. Sinira yung wall natin,” he added.

(The dam became clogged, causing the water to change course. That's why the house we saw fell into the river. The water diverted around the dam and carved out a new path, destroying our wall.)

Marcos said the government would rebuild the damaged wall and install a sabo dam upstream.

The President said the government’s priority was to provide shelter for residents whose homes were destroyed or damaged.

While some affected residents are temporarily staying with relatives, Marcos said they would need longer-term housing solutions.

He said the National Housing Authority (NHA) had reported having unused land in the area that could potentially be developed into housing projects for displaced families.— MCG, GMA News