Rains halt classes in Bulacan, Ipo dam spills water

MALOLOS CITY—Heavy rains on Sunday night to Monday morning led officials in Bulacan to suspend classes in selected schools yesterday.

This developed as the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO) allayed fears of possible flooding after Ipo dam started spilling 30 cubic meters of water per second at 6 a.m. yesterday.

The Pampanga River Flood Forecasting and Warning Center (PRFFWC) also issued related warning to communities in low-lying and high tide-affected areas in Bulacan and Pampanga.

Provincial Administrator Jim Valerio said that as early 6 a.m. yesterday, Mayor Orencio Gabriel of Obando town declared suspension of classes in all levels in his town.

The schools covered included the Bulacan Polytechnic College (BPC) campus in Obando town along with elementary and high schools.

Valerio said that the most part of Obando went underwater due to heavy rains which aggravated the daily rise of tidal water.

In Norzagaray town, Mayor Feliciano Legazpi also suspended classes in elementary and high schools due to heavy rains.

Classes in elementary schools were suspended in the mountain town of Donya Remedios Trinidad.

In the coastal town of Hagonoy, school administrators decided to suspend classes in elementary and high school due to heavy rains and high tide.

In Malolos City, classes were also suspended in Barangays Dakila, Tikay, Sumapang Matanda and other low lying villages.

Mayor Christian Natividad of Malolos said the impact of night-long heavy rains varied from place to place with some areas in the city hardly affected.

“We left the decision to school administrators,” he said.(Dino Balabo)