DESPITE a large amount of rainwater and the overflow of the Pampanga River brought by the past typhoons, the poblacion area of the municipality of Candaba hardly experienced any flooding.
In the past years, consecutive weather disturbances usually transform the town proper into an island-like area, which is surrounded by deep floodwaters.
According to Zosimo Lapuz of Barangay Gulap, residents then needed to use boats or trucks to access the town proper or go outside of the municipality.
"From jeeps and motorcycles, the mode of transportation going in and out of Poblacion becomes boats and trucks. Workers and students then either have to pay bigger fares for the boat ride or wait for the large trucks that offer 'libreng sakay,'" Lapuz said.
This year was a breakthrough for Candabeños as the poblacion area remained dry despite the massive flooding caused by Tropical Storm Ulysses.
"There was hardly any flooding in our area and vehicles of all types can freely access the town proper despite the onslaught of Ulysses," Lapuz said.
The development in the area is credited to the recently finished Candaba cut-off channel located in Barangay Mandasig here.
The 133-meter long four-lane infrastructure, which started construction in 2016, straightened the flow of water in the Pampanga River from its former U-shaped-like stream.
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Project Manager Rogelio Ang, who inspected the infrastructure on Thursday morning, November 19, 2020, said Candabeños are now experiencing the effectiveness of the project.
"This infrastructure was specifically constructed to minimize the flooding in the town proper. Prior to this, the stream of water is encircling the town proper so we straightened it so the descent of water will be much faster and will not retain in the area for a longer time," he said.
He said the DPWH is allotting almost P1 billion for the said infrastructure project and the redirection of the Pampanga River.
Mayor Rene Maglanque, who conceptualized the project, expressed his gratitude to the national government for funding the project, which saved his people and the municipality from destructive flooding.
"We created the masterplan and broke ground for the project during my first term in 2016 and through the support of President Rodrigo Duterte and DPWH Secretary Mark Villar, we were able to finish it and are now experiencing its efficiency," he said.