2 dikes give in, worsen floods in Pangasinan

Two dikes in Pangasinan have collapsed due to heavy rains brought by tropical depression "Pepeng," worsening the flood situation in the towns of Villasis and Rosales, local officials said Friday. Provincial administrator Rafael Baraan said the Lipay dike in Villasis collapsed before dawn Friday while the Carmen dike in Rosales gave in Thursday night. "Bumigay na kaya marami nang tubig dun (The dikes collapsed, submerging the towns in floodwaters)," Baraan said, adding the usual routes to the province in Villasis and Rosales towns are now impassable. Myra Romero of the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) said the current of the water brought by heavy rains probably caused the dikes to collapse. "Lagpas tao na," Romero said when asked about the level of water in the said towns. A resident of Villasis town confirmed the flood situation to GMANews.TV, saying that they were expecting the flood since Thursday afternoon after noticing the swelling of the Agno River. "Dun pa lang alam na naming na bibigay na yung dike (We knew by that time that the dike would collapse eventually)," said Richard Cuison of Zone 4 Poblacion. Neck-deep floods Cuison said most of the residents in their area are now seeking refuge on the second floor of the town hall. "Sa kalsada hanggang leeg ang tubig. Hindi kami makalabas (dahil) ang lakas ng daloy ng tubig (The water is neck-deep. We cannot go out of the house due to heavy current of water)." Cuison said the residents first went to the Villasis Gymnasium, but left later after the sports complex was inundated by floodwaters. The displaced residents then transferred to the municipal hall. As for him, Cuison said his and six other families are trapped on the second floor of their house. Compounding their situation was a power blackout since 4 p.m. Thursday. In Rosales town, hundreds of commuters and motorists were stranded along the highway near SM Rosales due to floods, Petty Officer 3 Richard Caluya of the Philippine Coast Guard told GMA News in a phone interview. Asked how high the floodwaters were, he said light vehicles were totally submerged. Coast Guard personnel were rescuing stranded commuters, approximately 100 to 200 people, who were mostly on the roof of the establishments. "Marami nang nagsisigawan, kinakawayan kami. Hindi pa kami maka-penetrate (They were shouting, calling our attention but we cannot penetrate the area yet so we rescued first those who were near us)," Caluya said. He added that they prioritized a pregnant woman. And while the towns of Rosales and Villasis are still under water, commuters from Manila can take Camiling Road in Tarlac province, pass through Mangatarem, Aguilar and Bugallon in Pangasinan to get to Lingayen in coastal Pangasinan, the PDCC said. Aside from the two towns, major population centers in northern Luzon, including Baguio, were isolated from the rest of the region due to widespread flooding and landslides. [See: N. Luzon cut off from Manila, thousands need rescue] According to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), Pepeng was expected to exit the country Saturday as it continued to move west after pummeling northern Luzon for days. [See: Pepeng moving slowly, may be out of RP Saturday] - with reports from Johanna Camille Sisante, GMANews.TV