MANILA, Philippines – It was barely raining on a Thursday morning, but the houses in a few barangays in Calumpit, Bulacan were already submerged in water.  

For residents who have lived there for decades, the sight was nothing new. The flooding, they said, was something they had learned to live with over the years.

“Actually, it’s not really scary anymore. We’re used to it. You could say that flooding has become part of life here,” said Josafat Tubig, a factory worker who used to live in Barangay Sta. Lucia in Calumpit, over an hour’s drive from Manila.

They recalled that the area used to be rice fields. But when the water came during typhoons, it never went away. At first, people could still walk through it. Now, they need a boat to get across. Some people even go there to fish. 

“I still remember it being rice fields. The last time I went there, I was in Grade 10. That was back in 2015,” said engineer John Miguel Censon Cuenco, the founder of Kabataang Boluntir Initiative.  

Calumpit is known for the river that surrounds it, and it has always been a big part of the town’s history, culture, and tradition. Even before, boats were already used to travel to the town proper.

But in some parts of Calumpit, a boat is no longer just part of a tradition, but a necessity. 

A motorized boat costs around P55,000, while a paddle boat is about P12,000. Those who can’t afford either have no choice but to pay P30-40 for a ride or swim from their houses to dry land.

While many residents have learned to live with the constant flooding, some families have already moved out, saying it’s no longer safe or convenient to live in a house surrounded by water.

“When we go home or leave for work, we get soaked. That’s why we decided to just leave. We ended up abandoning our house,” Tubig said.

Still, some choose to stay because leaving isn’t something they can afford to do.

“Sometimes when we get frustrated, we think about leaving because there’s no dry place to stay except for our second floor. Once my child gets a chance to work abroad, we’ll probably leave this place,” said Elvira Ilobrera, a longtime Calumpiteño.

The same situation can be seen in many schools in Calumpit. 

In Frances National High School (FNHS), some students can’t go to school due to the school grounds being flooded. 

“Our school grounds haven’t dried since June 16, and even now, they’re still flooded,” Melvin Takata, a student from FNHS, shared. 

Meanwhile, at Sta. Lucia National High School (SLNHS), classes are held in shifts because the first floor of the building remains submerged and cannot be used.

“The students have shifts because of the flooding. Some attend in the morning, others in the afternoon,” said Jose Vicente, a security guard for 20 years at SLNHS. 

The floods don’t just affect homes and schools. They also disrupt residents’ work. 

“We live near the river,” Cuenco said. “Every day, I have to wade through floodwaters to get to work. Because of this, I’m sometimes late.”

Sangguniang Kabataan Federation President Aubrey Sabilo faces the same challenge. She has to ride a tikling to get to work, a tricycle adapted with extended stilts so it can move through the floodwaters.

The ride is risky. Strong currents or hidden potholes can tip the tikling, but for Sabilo, it’s the only way to get to work.

Floods caused by neglect

According to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) list on sumbongsapangulo.ph, Bulacan has the most flood control projects in the country, with 668 projects worth around P6.5 billion.

Calumpit has at least 37 flood control projects worth P2.18 billion all in all, a number that residents say they don’t quite feel as they continue to endure flooding every day.

During a public education walk called “Operation: Ghosbuster Project” on October 31, participants visited flood control projects in Calumpit, Bulacan, including a slope protection dike located at the boundary of Barangay Meyto and Barangay San Jose. The walk was organized by The Traveling Salakot, Kabataang Boluntir Initiative, and KAPARIZ-Bulacan, in partnership with GoodGovPH and Future Bridging Leaders Program Alumni Association.

According to sumbongsapangulo.ph, the slope protection dike in Barangay San Jose, under Topnotch Catalyst Builders Incorporated, was supposed to be completed by December 2024. Nearly a year later, the construction is still ongoing, and the slope protection dike is already showing cracks.

Meanwhile, the river wall on the other side remains untouched, even though both sides were marked as completed.

Adding insult to injury, the local government unit (LGU) said there was a lack of coordination between DPWH and the LGU regarding the issuance of permits. Meanwhile, Calumpiteños said they only found out about the projects when they were reported in the news.

“Not a single permit was secured, not even from the municipal or barangay offices,” said Maria Klarizza Gianan, local youth development focal person of Calumpit. “When the issue came out in the media, people were furious because we’ve been suffering from the floods.”

Tubig echoed this, saying that they had always thought the flooding was just part of nature. It was only now that they realized anomalous flood control projects also contributed to it. 

The poor coordination between the DPWH and the LGU is not new, and Calumpit is just one of many towns facing the same issue.

Calumpit mayor Lem Faustino called on 1st District Representative Danny “DAD” Domingo to account for the anomalous flood control projects in their municipality during the Managot Ang Dapat Managot interfaith prayer vigil at El Mercado De Calumpit on September 21.  

Residents also urged officials to fix flood control projects and end corruption, hoping that flooding will no longer define their daily lives. — with reports from Christian Patulot/Rappler.com

Is there a flood control project in your area you want to report? Snap a photo of it and send it to the Flood Control PH chat room on the Rappler app.

Quotes are translated in English for brevity.