Posted on July 28, 2025
MINALIN, Pampanga — As floodwaters inundate wide swaths of Pampanga province, Senator Lito Lapid is calling on the national government to fund and implement annual dredging of the Pampanga River — a move he and local leaders say is critical to averting further devastation.
Lapid, a native of Pampanga, made the appeal Friday while delivering aid to five flood-ravaged towns. “Kailangan na po natin hukayin ang mga kailugan natin dahil mababaw na po,” Lapid said in Filipino. “We need to dig out our rivers. They’ve become too shallow.” He pledged to mobilize support in the Senate for a dedicated, recurring budget for the project.
The senator’s call follows Pampanga’s declaration of a state of calamity on July 24, after relentless monsoon rains submerged 224 barangays across 18 towns and cities. More than 160,000 families — or over 527,000 residents — have been affected. Damage estimates already exceed ₱470 million in agriculture and ₱170 million in infrastructure, including breached dikes and damaged roads.
Lapid’s relief operation distributed 5,000 food packs in the flood-stricken towns of Sasmuan, Minalin, Sto. Tomas, Macabebe, and Masantol, among the hardest-hit in the province’s southern region. He was joined by Sasmuan Mayor Catalina Bagasina, Minalin Mayor Philip Naguit, Sto. Tomas Mayor John Sambo, 4th District Congresswoman Anna York Bondoc-Sagum, and his sons — Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) chief Mark Lapid and Porac Councilor Maynard Lapid.
The Pampanga River, which stretches more than 34 kilometers through Central Luzon, has long suffered from sediment buildup and uncontrolled development along its banks. Officials say this has turned it into a bottleneck for floodwaters, pushing overflow into densely populated areas.
Governor Lilia “Nanay” Pineda, who has spearheaded the province’s emergency response, is also pushing for long-term solutions. She personally appealed to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) to prioritize the river’s rehabilitation. During an inspection in Lubao, one of the most heavily flooded towns, she showed DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan how erosion and dike failures worsened the flooding.
Bonoan expressed support for Pineda’s call and acknowledged that desilting efforts across the Pampanga River basin are overdue. The DPWH chief said the agency is evaluating proposals for both emergency repairs and long-term flood control infrastructure.
Congresswoman Bondoc-Sagum, urged the national government to provide dredging equipment directly to local governments. “Let our municipalities operate them,” she said. “This isn’t just a response effort anymore — this is about survival.”
“Flooding is not just a seasonal nuisance anymore,” Lapid said. “If we don’t act now, this will become a permanent reality.
