The entire municipality of Hagonoy in Bulacan was submerged on Monday, due to consecutive storms and the enhanced southwest monsoon or “Habagat,” reported RH 15 Jecelle Ricafort.
According to Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) Chief RJ Crisostomo, none of the 26 barangays in Hagonoy were spared from flooding that has worsened with the high tide.
Over 134,000 residents were affected by the floods, with almost a thousand of them deciding to seek shelter in evacuation centers.
The official said that originally, Hagonoy had a population of around 136,000 residents. However, due to persistent flooding in the area, about 2,000 individuals have permanently left their residences.
Fish ponds in the area are the most affected assets, leading to a complete halt in operations.
“Hindi lang siya dulot ng high tide. ‘Yun na kasi ‘yung mga galing doon sa upstream po natin, ‘yung sa pag-ulan, ta’s may kasama na rin po ‘yung high tide. Ang pinakamataas po is three to four feet po ‘yung nairecord namin,” Crisostomo said.
“‘Yung kalakhan po kasi talaga is mayro’n pong inaabot na hanggang dibdib din, kahit na bumababa naman siya eventually pero ‘yung kalakhan po, wala na pong makadaan na sasakyan,” he added.
Hagonoy has a total of 41 flood control projects—altogether worth more than ₱5 billion—but residents are not seeing a difference, Crisostomo said.
“Walang naramdaman,” he told Ricafort.
When Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon visited the town, Hagonoy Mayor Ma. Rosario “Ate Charo” Sy Alvarado-Mendoza laid out reforms for flood prevention to be implemented next year.
“Nakikipag-coordinate naman po ang ating mayor, hindi po siya tumitigil—actually bumaba po dito si Secretary Vince Dizon, and sinabi naman po niya na may mga… may hinain naman po siyang plano na, hopefully by next year is masimulan na po,” the disaster management official shared.
“Kasi ang atin pong mayor, noong nakita niya, lalo na ‘yung mga ghost project, kasi hindi po talaga dumaan dito sa amin sa LGU, e. Ni isa, wala po talagang nangyari. Dahil noong pumutok po iyong ghost project na ‘yan, in-assess po ng LGU, and talagang nakita naman pong wala,” he added.
At the market, Ricafort reported that the vendors say they are tired of constant flooding, which also occurs with the high tide, and the ache in their feet and other health conditions the flood inflicts.
The Mary the Queen Subdivision in Barangay San Sebastian, Hagonoy is now known as a “ghost town,” after the majority of its residents abandoned their homes due to floodwaters that have refused to fully subside for seven years.
