Calumpit declares state of calamity

CALUMPIT, Bulacan—This town, where one of the first anomalous flood-control projects was discussed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last year,  was placed under a state of calamity on Tuesday as flooding swept through all 29 barangays. 

Enriquito Santiago Jr., head of the municipal disaster risk reduction management office (MDRRMO), said in a report on Wednesday that 154,961 individuals from 46,498 families in 29 barangays have been displaced, disrupted, or directly impacted by floods. 

Santiago told Inquirer that the high tide and days of strong intermittent monsoon rains were further aggravated by backflooding from Pampanga waterways and discharges from overflowing dams. 

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READ: Pagasa reports increase in water levels of 6 out of 9 monitored dams

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Combined, the influx of water had inundated the town, with Barangay Meysulao reeling from floods as high as six feet. 

Barangays Frances, Calizon, and Bulusan were visited by the President on Aug. 15, 2025, and considered “ground zero” of Bulacan’s ghost projects. 

These projects were supposed to mitigate floods of 4 to 5 feet, which sometimes obstructed major thoroughfares. 

Ipo Dam had earlier released water at 300 cubic meters per second (cms) when reservoir levels approached its 101-meter spilling level but had stopped the discharges on Wednesday, according to the Bulacan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO). 

Bustos Dam reduced its discharge to 52 cms on Wednesday. Earlier, it released water at 100 cms after its reservoir elevation reached more than 16 meters, close to its 17-meter spilling level./coa