14 areas flooded in Pangasinan as more rains expected in north
LINGAYEN, Pangasinan — More areas in Pangasinan were submerged over the weekend, with 13 municipalities and the city of Dagupan scourged by torrential rains as the state weather bureau warned more will come to the northern and central parts of Luzon in the next three days.
Weather forecaster Gener Quitlong of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
(PAGASA), said yesterday that due to the effects of the “habagat” or southwest monsoon, there will be rains in the Ilocos and Cordillera regions and the provinces of Zambales and Bataan which may trigger flashfloods and landslides.
Quitlong said the country will remain storm-free until Wednesday, the agency continues to monitor the low-pressure area (LPA) outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).
He added that occasional rains are expected over Cagayan Valley and the rest of Central Luzon while partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated thunderstorms will prevail over Metro Manila and the rest of the country.
In Pangasinan, Avenix Arenas of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC) said the municipalities of Bani and Bolinao have been the hardest-hit by monsoon rains and flooding.
In Bani, at least seven flashfloods were reported while a landslide was reported in Bolinao which resulted in the death of a six-month-old baby, said Arenas.
Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr. has already deployed a team from the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) and the PDRRMC to conduct relief operations to Barangays Arwas and Banog in Bani.
In Sual municipality, a tornado destroyed almost 30 houses, a classroom, and a chapel in Sitio Lapog, Barangay Camagsingalan last Friday, according to Supt. Ferdinand de Asis, spokesman of Police Provincial Office (PPO).
Torrential rains also caused several hours of brownouts in the area while displacing families evacuated to the barangay hall.
As of yesterday, floods have also affected the towns of Sta. Barbara, Calasiao, Alaminos, Mangatarem, San Jacinto, San Fabian, Bugallon, Agno, Malasiqui, and Asingan.
In Calasiao, the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MDRRMC) monitoring yesterday revealed that water level at Marusay River rising at 8 feet above the normal level and at least 50 percent of the barangays in this municipality are now under water.
A thousand families have been evacuated to the Calasiao Sports Center, according to Friddie Villacorta of the MDRRMC.
In Mangatarem, Chief Inspector Rex Infante of the local police said at least 20 barangays mostly near the river have been flooded.
“The water flooding these areas comes all the way from Tarlac,” said Infante.
Classes today in these flooded areas may be suspended, depending on later announcements by the local government or the Department of Education (DepEd).
Ilocos ricefields flooded
Yesterday, farmers and fishermen in Ilocos Sur were alarmed after their ricefields and fish cages were flooded.
Provincial Agriculture Officer Constante Botacion said the initial report of areas of ricefields and fish cages affected by flooding due to continuous rains in the past two weeks is already reaching 294 hectares.
He said that at least 291 hectares of rice lands in the towns of San Vicente, Sto. Domingo, San Ildefonso, Santa, Narvacan and Santa Cruz were affected by flooding while three hectares of fish cages were overflown in Bantay and Sta. Catalina.
Botacion said the provincial government under the leadership of Governor Ryan Luis Singson is looking for possible relief assistance to the affected farmers and fishermen by the habagat. (With a report from Freddie G. Lazaro)