Residents of Sitio Boquig in Barangay Lumbang in Calasiao, Pangasinan once again waded through floodwaters after days of rain with some resorting to makeshift rafts as water levels rose above the knee.

They blame the unfinished construction of a flood-control dike, which has been left incomplete for nearly three years.

“Pag ulan-ulan lang, babahain kami agad. Mababa, andiyan lang ang ilog. Sobrang baba. Iyon nga po wala kaming dike. Hindi po itinuloy, maganda sana kung diretsyo,” Julius Biñas, a resident, said.

The Calasiao Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said the flooding began over the weekend after the river swelled.

“Mula po noong weekend napansin natin nagkaroon ng pagtaas sa ating level ng tubig sa ilog kung saan nagkaroon ng mga isolated cases ng pagbaha sa ating mga low-lying area,” spokesperson Kristine Joy Soriano said.

Barangay officials also expressed frustration. Barangay Chairman Baltazar Vinoya Jr. said the project has been idle for years.

“Iyong dike hindi pa itinuloy. 2022 merong ginagawa, iyong 2023 – 2024 at saka 2025, wala,” he said.

With two and a half kilometers of the dike still incomplete, residents say floodwaters from the river have an easy path into their homes.

The agency responsible for the project is yet to release a statement as of this writing.