No preparations yet:

Barangay Bambang residents have no plans yet for worst case scenario

ANGAT DAM. A landscape photo taken from the Angat Dam view deck.

Five out of 10 residents of Barangay Bambang, Bulakan have no preparations yet towards a possible dam break.

“Napag-uusapan pa lang, wala pang kongkretong gagawin,” said Feliciano Carreon, acting parish secretary of San Isidro Labrador Parish in the said barangay.

However, two among 10 respondents chose prayers as the best way to prepare while the three others answered seeking for higher places to evacuate and storing food in advance.

“We pray so that it won’t affect us and bring us to catastrophe,” stated Ricci Martinez, a teacher at Doña Candelaria Meneses Duque High School, also in Barangay Bambang.

“Alamin ang pinakamalapit na evacuation center, preferably building with second floor or third floor. Prepare first aid kit and early preparation of foods,” stated businessman Rowel Alcaraz.

These preparations can be rooted from their knowledge towards the problem.

“Hindi ko po alam,” answered Mylin Veron, a plain resident.

“Malapit na daw masira,” said Emily Lacsamana, another resident.

Teresa Rodriguez, a resident and teacher at Gen. Gregorio del Pilar Elementary School, said “Nabalitaan ko na may mga bitak na ito.”

“Kapag nagkaroon ng 7.2 na lindol mabe-break po ang dike ng dam,” stated Jorell Meneses, a tricycle driver.

Four out of 10 residents learned the condition of the Angat Dam through the news from TV, radio and newspaper.

“Oo, dahil malaki ang nagiging impluwensya ng television,” answered Gerlie Rivera, a teacher at St. Stephen School of Bulakan if she believes about what she heard about the dam.

However, “Kadalasan kasi totoo ang mga balitang napapanood [sa TV],” Rivera added, expressing a tinge of doubt towards the mass media.

“Partly, dahil may mga nagbabalita na masyadong sensationalized ang balita,” stated Alcaraz.

“Bagamat sometimes, they exaggerate, it but still it is true,” deemed Martinez who shared the same thinking.

However, while the other nine respondents believe the possibility of a dam break, Reggie Lazaro who found out about the issue through social media said “Hindi, parang imposible.”

Moreover, wanting the government to act upon the situation of the 47 year-old dam, “Sa lalong madaling panahon ay isaayos na nila ito, bago magkaroon ng malubhang pangyayari na sisira sa buhay at kabuhayan ng maraming mamamayan,” said Carreon.

“Hangga’t maaga, i-repair na [nila] ‘yung dam,” stated Neil Roque, a second year Broadcasting major at Bulacan State University.

According to Rodriguez, the national, provincial and local government should help one another in solving the circumstance.

“Iwasan ang graft and corruption at isaayos ang dapat isaayos,” added Martinez.

Roque expressed his desire to know more about the issue, “Gusto ko po malaman kung ano-anong mga lugar ang maaaring masyadong maapektuhan nito at… saan maaaring ligtas para sa lahat.”

Also, Carreon stated “Ano ba talaga ang kalalagayan nito sa kasalukuyan?”

The Angat Dam which is located at Norzagaray, Bulacan is believed to break down if a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hits the Marikina West Valley Faultline (MWVF) as a branch of the MWVF lies underneath one of the dam’s dikes.

This was confirmed by studies conducted by Tonkin & Taylor International and Engineering Development Corporation of the Philippines (Edcop).

Back in 2009, Philippine Volcanology and Seismology director Renato Solidum revealed that a branch of that the Bulacan province must prepare for the worst case scenario being the dam break for a branch of the MWVF lies 200 meters from one of the dikes of the dam.

Last December 13, 2013, the provincial government of Bulacan conducted a dam break drill along the McArthur Highway to the Bulacan Sports Complex, which was then participated by Bulacan State University (BulSU), Centro Escolar University (CEU), Bulacan Polytechnic College (BPC), La Consolacion University of the Philippines (LCUP) and various offices and response teams from the government.