Pampanga is still underwater, with hundreds of thousands affected as severe flooding puts fresh attention on the province’s flood-control record and the political figures who represented some of its hardest-hit areas.
Pampanga’s 3rd District, which covers San Fernando, is now represented by Deputy Majority Leader Mica Gonzales, who succeeded her father, Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr. Dong held the congressional seat from 2016 to 2025 and later became Senior Deputy Speaker under then-Speaker Martin Romualdez, becoming a political ally who publicly supported and defended Romualdez’s leadership in the House.
During Gonzales’ congressional term, A.D. Gonzales Construction, where his three children owned 98% from 2023 to 2024, secured four DPWH flood-control projects worth ₱913 million in San Fernando, Bacolor and Mexico.
Three of those projects later became the subject of a graft complaint that was dismissed in December 2024, while Gonzales called the accusations baseless. The controversy has gained renewed relevance as Pampanga’s flood-control system comes under scrutiny during another major flooding crisis.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan placed Pampanga under a state of calamity after continuous heavy rains and the enhanced southwest monsoon flooded 297 barangays across 17 local governments. The province recorded 860,076 affected residents, more than 8,100 displaced people, and over ₱508 million in agricultural losses.
By August 17, the PDRRMO said 228 barangays across 16 localities remained flooded. Candaba had 32 submerged barangays, Masantol had 26, while Guagua and Macabebe had 25 each. Floodwaters in extreme areas reportedly reached six to 14 feet.
Governor Lilia Pineda has called for an immediate halt and comprehensive review of unfinished regional flood-control projects, saying existing flood-mitigation infrastructure must be reassessed against severe monsoon flooding.
Now, Pampanga remains under calamity, communities are still flooded, farmers face heavy losses, and Kapampangans are again left enduring a crisis after years of flood-control spending.
