As the threat looms:

A report on the persisting threat of flooding to the residents of Santa Maria Riverbanks in Barangay Bagbaguin

Respondent Jasper Dacutanan as he observes their old unfinished home in Bagbaguin. They never had it finished as they decided to move in another barangay just so they could be safe from the floods.

“Mas nakakatulog na kami sa ganitong mga panahon mula nu’ng lumipat kami.”

These were the words of Jasper Dacutanan, my resident respondent on how he feels that they are now far away from living in a danger zone that is always at risk from frequent flooding of the Santa Maria River, especially during this rainy season.

In my recent one-on-one interview with him, Jasper showed me how it is like to live in a place of an imminent and constant threat that endangers their homes, livelihoods, and lives.

Jasper, at 20 years old, lived his life in constant fear of the floods frequent in Barangay Bagbaguin, especially around the riverbanks. In the town’s history with strong typhoons and monsoon rains, the riverbanks have always been identified as a danger zone with water levels rising rapidly in just a short span of time.

To him, on rainy days, they would lose sleep and would always worry over the course of the onslaught of thunderstorms as at any time, the river would overflow without a moment’s notice with the Local Government Unit and its risk reduction management arm issuing late notices of evacuation leaving them very much vulnerable.

Jasper points to a distant marker in the river.

“Laging late ang abiso ng munisipyo. Kami dito, ‘pag maulan, hindi na kami mapakali at hindi na rin naman namin kailangang maghintay pa ng sasabihin nila. Kaso may mga pagkakataon kasi na kailangan namin ng siguradong notice mula sa kanila kung e-evacuate ba kami o hindi, kasi kung bumaha dito, tapos kami umakyat na, saan naman kami agad pupunta kung mauuna pa kami mag-evacuate?” He said.

“Madalas ‘yung bahay namin lubog na saka pa lang kami makakarinig mula sa munisipyo,” he added.

His father, Francisco, has mentioned a promise pledged by the municipal government that it would relocate them and provide housing for most of the residents around the riverbank in Barangay Caysio but the promise would never come fulfilled.

“Matagal nang sinasabi ng LGU na pabahay, relocate daw kami sa Caysio. Pero ang tagal-tagal na nu’n. Hanggang ngayon nasa papel pa rin, puro sila survey-survey pero hanggang dun lang,” Mr. Dacutanan said.

Jasper pointing out the height of the waters during "Ondoy."

What Jasper’s father referring is the promise made by the LGU way back in 2010 after Tropical Storm “Ondoy” brought record rainfall that caused a devastating flood that washed the municipality, particularly this zone.

“Noong “Ondoy”, hindi ko talaga ‘yun malilimutan dahil ang taas-taas ng tubig no’n. Hindi lang itong bahay namin dati ang inilubog ng ilog na ito kundi pati ‘yung tulay. Imagine-nin mo na lang kung gaano kataas ‘yung tubig noon,” Jasper said in response.

The newly-built dike as it stands right now, behind is the evident erosion of the soil due to constant flooding.

Moreover, what concerns Jasper, and the other residents of the area was the continuous degradation of soil, and that the river is slowly eating away the ground and now the water is only two meters away from their houses.

But a newly built dike now stands between to prevent further erosion of the soil on the riverbank. According to Jasper, it is only recently around 2020 that the structure was built to shield residents from the potential dangers of a great flood happening again, which they know the chances are very likely.

However, to him, the LGU should not be praised for doing its duty to build the structure, but he sees it as somewhat of a band-aid solution. Jasper mentioned that it was only then the municipal government decided to fortify and strengthen the dike, in the past, the installation was poorly built and would only be washed away every time it floods thus a waste of public funds that could be better used for more effective flood controls projects that time.

The dike and its entirety spanning the whole of Santa Maria River.

“May issue dati dito nung naglalagay sila ng dike bago pa itong mataas na ito. Mababa lang kasi ito noon, nakakain pa rin ‘yung lupa lalo na ‘yung sa ilalim kaya gumuho na ito dati eh. Ngayon lang itong bagong dike na ito kung kailan halos maubos na ‘yung lupa dito,” Jasper said as he points out to me the damage the river has caused over the years at the ground where we stand.

As he talks deeper into the issues, they encountered for living in the area for two decades, Jasper showed me the remains of their first house in Bagbaguin.

“Ito ‘yung dingding nung bahay namin dati. Bumagsak na, hanggang ngayon mababakas mo pa rin ‘yung pinsalang tinamo kahit ang tagal na panahon na nu’n. Ayan ‘yung bahay namin dati na naunang nasira na,” he said.

The remains of their old house in Bagbaguin, destroyed by great floods that came before.

“Tapos ito ngayon ung bahay namin na bago dito na naipatayo namin, pero ngayon nagdesisyon na kaming hindi na dito talaga tumira,” he added as he showed me the destroyed structure of the house, they once considered home and the other they’ve built but decided to not live in it anymore because of what his family has experienced.

Right after that, I asked him how they sleep especially whenever it rains to which he strongly responds: “Ay, walang tulog-tulog dito sa amin. Mahirap na. May mga pagkakataon na kung buong linggong uumuulan, buong lingo ring walang natutulog sa amin.”

In November of 2020, Typhoon “Ulysses” has ravaged most of Luzon and with it brought the most intense flooding Metro Manila has experienced since 2009, and that includes the riverbanks here, to Jasper’s relief, their family decided to move in distant barangay in Balasing just before the start of the pandemic.

However, all they can do is wonder how their friends and relatives fair in situations that brought horror to them.

“Mag-aalala ka talaga dahil bukod sa mga kamag-anak at kakilala ko, naging parte na rin ng buhay ko ‘yung lugar na ‘yun. Maswerte kaming nabigyan na pagkakataon na makabili ng lupa dito [sa Balasing] at lumipat sa lugar kung saan hindi aabutan ng baha,” Japser elaborated.

“Pero paano naman sila? Hanggang kailan magbubulag-bulagan ang gobyerno sa sitwasyon nila na naranasan di namin noon. ‘Yung pangako na bahay, ang tagal na nu’n. Itong riprap na ito? Kailan lang ‘yan kung kailan halos kainin na ng ilog ‘yung bahay namin,” he followed.

A structure the LGU built to foster economy at the riverbanks, however, it served as a testament to their half-baked plans as this, too, was destroyed by a flood.

With that interview, I sought an answer from the Barangay to shed light on the situation and hopefully raise the concern my respondent has revealed. However, the barangay unit has consistently refused my request for an interview and as of the time of writing, no formal response was given to me for I do not have the opportunity to talk with them.

Meanwhile, the LGU has turned down a request for an interview with a municipal official for a reason which they stated as related to recently held elections and that the new set of officers who won would not yet be able to entertain such a request.

Moreover, in my interview once with a councilor from previous blog number 2, she stated that the local government has actively done its role in mitigating the threat of flooding not only in Bagbaguin but also in Santa Maria as a whole.

But such statements do not guarantee perceived results, as residents just like Jasper and the other Bagbaguin folk, continue to feel for their lives and worry about it just as every time the raindrops and they since have long waited for the LGU to fulfill its promise to relocate them and not let the same thing happen again

After this report, we will continue to raise their concerns and amplify their voices. Such problems like this should not be left on the sidelines and that our pursuit for accountability and responsibility from the government should continue, especially now that Santa Maria has elected a new mayor.

Will the future be bright for them, or will they continue to endure the municipality’s neglect and fear for their lives? Who knows?