UNPROTECTED, UNPREPARED: 14 Iloilo towns received zero flood control works

1 of 2

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

While millions have been spent on flood control structures in Iloilo, 14 towns—many in the fifth district—remain excluded from the province’s flood mitigation network.

According to the “Sumbong sa Pangulo” portal, stark disparities exist in how flood and shoreline protection projects are allocated, with some of the most flood-prone communities receiving none since 2022.

Among the towns with no new projects despite repeated inundation are Balasan, Batad, Carles, Lemery, San Dionisio, San Rafael, Sara, Anilao, Leon, New Lucena, Badiangan, Bingawan, Lambunao, and Zarraga.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources–Mines and Geosciences Bureau 6 has listed Lambunao and Leon among the towns at risk for rain-induced landslides and flooding.

In December 2019, after Typhoon Ursula struck, the towns of Balasan, Batad, and Carles were reclassified from “low to high” to “low to very high” risk for both flood and landslide hazards.

Balasan has suffered repeated severe flooding, including during Typhoon Ursula in 2019, which submerged all 23 barangays, and during Typhoon Agaton in April 2022, which prompted widespread evacuations.

In Batad, heavy rains flooded 12 barangays in September 2022, displacing 2,151 residents, followed by another incident in January 2023 when three barangays were affected again.

To address this, the provincial government launched its “Purok Resilience Program” in Batad, piloting a 30-unit housing project in Barangay Nangka to relocate vulnerable residents.

Carles and San Dionisio, also in northern Iloilo, have experienced frequent flooding and storm surges, including back-to-back incidents in December 2019 and 2020, and again during Agaton in 2022.

Sara declared a state of calamity in April 2022 after 34 barangays were submerged, displacing over 6,000 residents and damaging schools and homes.

In Lemery, a bridge collapsed in Barangay San Jose during Agaton in April 2022, while rescue operations were launched in Barangay Tabunan, where one fatality was reported.

Even upland San Rafael reported a fatality during Severe Tropical Storm Kristine in November 2024, when rice fields were flooded.

Central Iloilo towns were not spared either.

Lambunao experienced major floods in July 2022 and May 2023, with the latter also triggering landslides, and recorded two fatalities during Tropical Depression Quinta in 2012.

Anilao, Badiangan, and Bingawan were hit by Quinta in December 2012, while Bingawan saw its Malitbog Creek overflow in May 2023, flooding nearby communities.

Leon, a mountainous municipality at high risk of rain-induced hazards, suffered flash floods in November 2022 and September 2023.

New Lucena was struck by a flash flood and tornado in July 2022 and experienced storm damage from Tropical Storm Falcon in 2019.

Zarraga faced severe flooding in May 2023 due to a low-pressure area, affecting Barangay Libongcogon.

The town was hit again in July 2024 when the southwest monsoon, intensified by Super Typhoon Carina, submerged 14 barangays and displaced 637 families or 2,027 people.

The Jalaur River Multi-Purpose Project (JRMP II), the first major reservoir dam outside Luzon, aims to help prevent flooding along the Jalaur River, in addition to providing irrigation and potable water.

The project features a three-dam and reservoir system capable of holding up to 250.70 million cubic meters of water to regulate river flow during typhoons or heavy rains.

JRMP II is projected to benefit 23 towns—mainly in central and parts of northern Iloilo—as well as two cities within the river basin.

As of June 2025, the project is approximately 78.77% complete.

Its centerpiece, the 109-meter Jalaur High Dam, has been completed, with water impoundment starting in May 2024.

The reservoir currently holds 77.46 million cubic meters of water out of its full capacity of 250.70 million cubic meters.

Other completed components include the 38.5-meter Jalaur Afterbay Dam and the 10-meter Alibunan River Catch Dam.

This story series examines key findings on flood control projects reported in the Sumbong sa Pangulo portal.