228 barangays in Pampanga plagued by flooding

The Pampanga Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) reported that around 228 barangays in Pampanga are currently flooded as the province remains under a State of Calamity as of 17 August 2026.

According to the PDRRMO, these 228 barangays are from 16 localities in the province, with over 10,000 families affected by the widespread flooding due to relentless, intense rains brought on by consecutive typhoons and the heavily enhanced Southwest Monsoon.

As of August 17, 2026, PAGASA has placed multiple municipalities under a Yellow Warning Level, indicating that heavy downpours will persist with an active threat of ongoing flooding. High-risk areas include Lubao, Floridablanca, Sasmuan, Macabebe, Porac, and Masantol.

According to reports from the PDRRMO, several lowland municipalities are bearing the brunt of the water accumulation. These areas include Candaba with 32 barangays submerged. Water levels have surged past the critical 5-meter mark, reaching depths of 6 to 14 feet in extreme locations.

Another municipality is Masantol with 26 barangays heavily flooded, along with Guagua and Macabebe, with both municipalities reporting 25 flooded barangays each. In Arayat and Sasmuan, water gauges at the Pampanga River Basin indicate near-critical “orange” water levels.

The Sangguniang Panlalawigan officially has earlier declared a state of calamity, freeing up emergency relief funds to manage the humanitarian crisis.

More than 860,000 individuals (269,775 families) across 17 local government units have been impacted by the prolonged weather systems, while initial assessments estimate agricultural damage to crops, fisheries, and livestock has exceeded P508 million, devastating thousands of local farmers.

Pampanga Governor Lilia Pineda has called for an immediate halt and review of incomplete regional flood-control projects to reassess their structural efficacy against heavy monsoonal swelling.