President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. visited an evacuation center here on Monday to personally assess the condition of flood-affected residents and oversee the national government’s ongoing relief distribution. The Chief Executive visited the Bacolor Integrated School Evacuation Center in Barangay Cabambangan, where he checked on families who have been seeking temporary shelter due to prolonged flooding caused by the enhanced Southwest Monsoon and tropical cyclones Luis, Maymay and Neneng.
During the visit, President Marcos inspected classrooms serving as temporary shelters and spoke with displaced residents before observing the distribution of P10,000 cash assistance to household heads under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program. The AICS initiative provides financial, material and psychosocial aid to families facing crisis situations.
Accompanied by DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, Pampanga Vice Governor Dennis Pineda, Bacolor Mayor Eduardo Datu and local officials, the President ensured the continuous delivery of aid. Prior to his arrival, the DSWD had distributed family food packs and served hot meals to evacuees via its Mobile Kitchen.
As of August 23, the Bacolor Integrated School accommodated 216 families, or 836 individuals, who have remained displaced for 16 consecutive days. Across Bacolor, 11 active evacuation centers are currently providing shelter to 559 families or 2,221 individuals.
Pampanga has been heavily impacted by weather disturbances, prompting the provincial government to declare a state of calamity on August 12, 2026. According to DSWD data, a total of 315,807 families, equivalent to over 1.01 million individuals, have been affected across the province, with 3,118 families or 11,308 individuals remaining in temporary shelters. Widespread flooding has impacted 18 cities and municipalities, including Candaba, Santa Ana, Macabebe, San Simon, Apalit, Guagua, Lubao, Mexico, San Luis, Minalin, Bacolor, Arayat, San Fernando, Magalang, Masantol, Porac, Santo Tomas and Sasmuan.
The disaster has damaged 10 roads, government facilities and flood-control structures, completely destroyed four houses, and partially damaged 47 others. Agricultural losses reached an estimated P423.84 million, affecting 8,742 farmers and fisherfolk.
The DSWD has released P243.37 million in relief assistance to affected families, maintaining P2.63 million in standby funds and 127,947 family food packs at its Field Office III, with additional stockpiles available at DSWD Disaster Resource Centers for rapid deployment across Central Luzon.
Meanwhile, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has undertaken maintenance and declogging operations along waterways and drainage networks in Pampanga. To mitigate perennial flooding, the DPWH proposed several long-term infrastructure interventions, including extensive dredging operations, Phase 2 of the Pampanga Delta Development Project, the construction of the Central Luzon Pampanga River Floodway and Rio Chico Control Structure, the development of the Manila Bay Coastal Defense Dike Project spanning Metro Manila, Bulacan, Pampanga and Bataan, as well as the construction of revetments, culverts, detention basins and dams.