CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — Provincial leaders and national agency heads have convened to finalize reconstruction plans for major public infrastructure damaged by prolonged heavy rainfall across Pampanga.
Pampanga Governor Lilia Pineda and Vice Governor Dennis Pineda met with representatives from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) to map out priority rehabilitation efforts.
Chief among the targeted infrastructure is the Sto. Cristo Dam. The NIA has submitted a ₱699.5 million budget proposal to its national leadership to fund repairs for the dam and its surrounding waterways to restore function and improve local water management.
A breakdown of the proposed NIA budget includes:
- ₱292.68 million for the structural restoration of the Sto. Cristo Dam, which features the installation of a 100-meter retaining wall and embankment reinforcement.
- ₱368 million—the single largest allocation—for restoring and reinforcing slope protection along a 600-meter span on both banks of Cabangcalan Creek.
- ₱19 million for structural repairs to the Gumain Main Canal North and siphon, alongside new drainage and irrigation canal construction.
- ₱19 million for upstream slope protection upgrades, including the erection of a 500-meter parapet wall.
In parallel, the DPWH Second District Engineering Office plans to construct a 200-meter retaining wall to bolster protection in key areas, supported by ₱50 million from the agency’s Central Office.
Discussions during the meeting also addressed flood risks threatening the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX). To formulate a long-term solution, provincial officials, DPWH, and NIA established a Joint Technical Working Committee to survey silted or blocked waterways and draft a master flood-mitigation scheme.
Local officials plan to present these proposed interventions to business magnates Manny V. Pangilinan and Ramon S. Ang for potential private-sector coordination.
Immediate emergency works are already underway along damaged stretches of the San Fernando–Sto. Tomas–Minalin Tail Dike. The DPWH 2nd District Engineering Office announced that hauling teams will extract sand from the Labuan River in Barangay Sta. Ursula to use as fill material to reinforce weakened dike sections.
Following the initial emergency phase, public works officials will target persistent flooding challenges in Pampanga’s 4th District as part of broader provincial disaster mitigation efforts.