THE Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has intensified its humanitarian response and emergency operations across Central Luzon following persistent flooding brought by the southwest monsoon (Habagat).
In Pampanga, Coast Guard Station Pampanga, augmented by personnel from the Maritime Security Law Enforcement Command (MARSLEC) and the Marine Environmental Protection Command (MEPCOM), collaborated with local government units in relief operations.
PCG teams assisted the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office and local disaster management teams during feeding programs for evacuees in Masantol, while also aiding in the hauling and distribution of relief supplies in Guagua on September 1.
To address clean water shortages caused by the heavy inundation, the PCG deployed a mobile desalinator unit to Lubao on September 3.
Operated in coordination with the Pampanga Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office, the system is capable of producing over 10,000 liters of safe drinking water daily for displaced residents.
Furthermore, PCG personnel joined flood mitigation efforts along the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) in San Simon on September 3, installing flood barriers, conducting water-pumping operations, and laying sandbags to recede water levels along critical road networks.
Concurrently, Coast Guard responders carried out search, retrieval, and rescue operations in neighboring provinces.
In Botolan, Zambales, PCG teams and community volunteers retrieved the bodies of a father and his daughter whose carabao-drawn cart was swept away by flash floods on September 1.
The father was recovered along the shoreline on September 2, followed by his daughter on September 3.
In Tarlac, the PCG and the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office deployed a heavy-duty crane to retrieve a submerged vehicle from the Tarlac River on September 2.
The vehicle was confirmed to have plunged into the water during the partial collapse of the Agana Bridge on August 29. PCG teams are maintaining surface search operations for two passengers who remain missing.
According to PCG leadership, the widespread deployments are aligned with the agency’s Intensified Community Assistance, Awareness, Response, and Enforcement (iCARE) campaign to support disaster-stricken communities.
