A sudden downpour turned the grounds of Daniel Maramba National High School into pools of floodwater in Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan.

The rainfall was heavy, flooding walkways and causing students to be stranded in their classrooms.

Some had no choice but to remove their shoes and wade through murky water just to get home.

“Bumabaha rin po dito. Nagtatanggal [kami] ng sapatos tapos dadaan na. Mahirap,” Justine Villanueva Segundo, a Grade 9 student, said.

With around 5,000 students enrolled and a campus that spans seven hectares, the school often experiences flooding due to the effects of the southwest monsoon or “habagat.”

Security personnel have grown used to the situation.

“Kung malakas ang ulan, madaling bumaha rito,” Michael Snowbul Del Prado, a school security guard, said.

For some parents, it has become a routine to prepare for these emergencies.

“Pupunta ako dito, dapat naka-prepare ako. Kasi ganun talaga ‘yung sitwasyon dito,” Angelica de Guzman, a mother, said.

The school’s administration has yet to issue an official statement, but the Sta. Barbara Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) said they are now coordinating with the Municipal Engineering Office to investigate the cause of the flooding.

“Mag-i-schedule po ako na iba-validate po namin kung anong cause nung pagbaha sa ating eskwelahan,” Raymondo Santos, Sta. Barbara DRRM Officer, said.

Officials say the school's low-lying location and problematic drainage system may be to blame.