A three-year-old boy swept away by rushing floodwaters in Olongapo City was found dead, ending a search that began after floodwaters tore through his family’s home.
The boy went missing after floodwaters entered their home in Villa Meranda, Old Cabalan Forestry. Olongapo City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office chief Jeffrey Lapid said the child was with his parents when a wall above their house suddenly collapsed, sending a strong surge of water toward the home. The parents lost their grip on the boy as the rushing water carried him away.
Rescuers searched for the child as floodwaters continued to affect parts of Olongapo. Children later spotted his body along the boardwalk inside the Subic Bay Freeport and alerted authorities. Responders recovered the boy from the area.
The Office of Civil Defense reported that 33 people had died and 8.8 million people had been affected across 10 regions as of noon on August 31. The figure covered around 2.5 million families, while 19 people were injured and three remained missing.
The scale of the disaster has been particularly severe in parts of Luzon, where days of heavy rain triggered flooding, landslides and strong water currents. Central Luzon recorded multiple fatalities and evacuations as communities dealt with persistent flooding.
The widespread impact has also brought renewed scrutiny to billions of pesos spent on flood-control projects. Former House Speaker Martin Romualdez faces complaints before the Ombudsman over a ₱56-billion flood-control kickback scheme. The Ombudsman has identified Romualdez as the mastermind in what it described as the “grandest case” linked to the flood-control scandal, with investigators examining the diversion and misuse of public funds from 2022 to 2025.
The country is once again underwater and Martin Romualdez still isn’t in jail.
