The people from the riverbanks Good luck to us Kapampangans this rainy season! Were living in the countrys most flood-prone province, where the largest, most dangerous rivers in the island come together before exiting to the sea. Because of deforestation, expect the Sierra Madre, Caraballo and Zambales mountains to literally melt into muddy rivers when the monsoon rains come. Central Luzon will turn into a sink, and Pampanga will be the sinkhole. The towns of Apalit in Pampanga and Calumpit, Hagonoy, Pulilan, Plaridel, Malolos and Paombong in Bulacan will bear the brunt of these floods because they sit on top of an ancient swamp, the Pinac de Hagonoy (Hagonoy Swamp). This is where the Angat River joins the Pampanga River via the Bagbag River. The towns of Candaba, San Luis, San Simon, Baliuag, San Miguel, San Ildefonso, San Rafael and Cabiao also sit on a huge dry lake, the Pinac de Candaba (Candaba Swamp). There is also another swamp north of Mount Arayat, the San Antonio Swamp in Nueva Ecija. These swamps--the Hagonoy Swamp, the Candaba Swamp, and the San Antonio Swamp--are located in a depressed corridor that runs from Nueva Vizcaya all the way down to Manila Bay. Its called the Pampanga River Basin. Its where the rivers and streams coming from all directions in Central Luzon collect and become the mighty Pampanga River, also called the Rio Grande in colonial times. The floods in Bulacan side are worse than those in Pampanga because the Arnedo Dike, built about 100 years ago on the Pampanga side of the Rio Grande, keeps the overflow water from spreading towards Pampanga. The flooding in Pampanga is mostly in the Guagua River Basin, a depressed area where the rivers emanating from Mount Pinatubo collect and form another great river, the Guagua-Pasak River, which also drains into the Manila Bay. The Abacan River, for example, flows from Angeles to Mexico and is supposed to merge with Pampanga River, but it turns at the last minute towards Sto. Tomas and Minalin, which are part of the Guagua River Basin. The Pasig-Potrero River and the Porac-Gumain River also swerve when they reach a certain point and head towards the Guagua River Basin. People who see this great river in downtown Guagua think its the Pampanga River but its actually the Guagua-Pasak River, which is fed by tributaries such as the Sapang Matulid (from Mexico) which is also known by various names like San Fernando River and Betis River depending on where it passes. Long ago, Guagua-Pasak River was known as Dalan Bapor, because ships from Manila did pass here on their way to pick up passengers in Mexico and to transport canned goods from a large cannery in Guagua. During the British Occupation in 1762-64, the Spaniards escaped from Manila to Bacolor through the same Guagua-Pasak River. The British fleets in hot pursuit had to turn back because the townspeople had planted stakes in the rivers Sasmuan section. In 1899, the Spaniards retreating from Aguinaldos Revolutionary Army sought refuge in Macabebe where they boarded ships which took them to Manila via the Guagua-Pasak River. Today, the Guagua-Pasak River has been connected to Pampanga River by means of a man-made channel thats supposed to regulate the ebb and flow of floodwater between the two rivers. The government is also presently dredging the Pampanga River delta in an effort to remove tons of silt and sand that have accumulated since Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991. Aside from dredging, the government should also outlaw once and for all the fishponds that are making the river sluggish where it should be rushing to the sea. It should also locate all the lost rivers, creeks and canals that once formed an intricate web of water channels that efficiently drained all floodwater from the province. It can do this by looking at old maps and reading the clues provided by old names of places. For example, the people living in a community in Macabebe called Palapawan should realize that it means a place where water overflows. Another village is called Tacasan which means a place where water escapes. The towns poblacion is actually a barrio called Sapang Pari, which means the priests creek. There are many places like these all over Pampanga and Bulacan, which should give the Department of Public Works and Highways a clue on why they are always flooded. Our ancestors were actually smarter than us because they built their houses on stilts and they avoided the floodplains. Today we build one-story bungalows in areas we know are always flooded. Of all people living in the archipelago, we Kapampangans should be the wisest and best prepared when it comes to floods because, after all, we are called Kapampangans, the people from the riverbanks. Photo 1: newsflash.org Photo 2: santotomaspampanga.wordpress Photo 3: newsinfo.inquirer.net Photo 4: pinoygigs
Posted on: Sat, 05 Jul 2014 10:33:37 +0000
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