CONCEPCION, Tarlac — Residents and officials in Concepcion are demanding immediate action from the DPWH to fix a river dam along the Parua River that has redirected floodwaters toward four agricultural barangays, threatening lives and livelihoods.
Barangay Captain Francisco Manalo of San Martin warned that recent tropical storms have caused floodwaters to erode the edges of the river, endangering residents in Magao, Lilibangan, Castillo, and San Martin, home to over 8,200 people across 3,391 hectares of land, much of which is devoted to agriculture.
“Ngeni pu talagang masakit oneng kauran, pigaganakan mi pu. Apat la pong barangay a mituran keni na apektado—Magao, Lilibangan, Castillo, at San Martin, mumuna keng dili keni [maapektuhan] (Now it’s really hard because it’s rainy season, we are worried. Four barangays here will be affected—Magao, Lilibangan, Castillo, and San Martin, we will be the first ones here to be affected),” Manalo said, expressing deep concern over the ongoing rainy season.
According to an inspection report from the Concepcion Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), the ground-sill dam completed in 2025 by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has a width “substantially shorter than the natural river channel,” effectively reducing the river’s flow section from approximately 260 meters to only 45 meters.
The report stated that the structure is apparently blocking the flow of floodwaters, redirecting them toward the four villages instead of confining the current to the middle of the riverbed.
Manalo said the dam has a wrong design and added that barangay officials were not consulted prior to the project’s implementation.
Concepcion Mayor Noel Villanueva agreed that water flow should be directed to the center of the sill dam. He has assured residents that the local government will fortify the embankment to prevent floodwaters from breaching lateral areas.
“Bagama’t maulan, nararapat naman ang ating patuloy na pagmonitor sa lagay ng Parua River kasama ang mga nanunungkulan sa Barangay San Martin at Barangay Castillo,” Villanueva stated.
The mayor also urged DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon to immediately complete the unfinished dam project, warning that continued erosion could threaten approximately 5,000 families and 5,000 hectares of agricultural land.
“Patuloy po ang ating pakikipag-ugnayan sa Department of Public Works and Highways Sec. Vince Dizon patungkol sa ating mga prayoridad na proyektong ito,” Villanueva added.
A portion of the San Martin-Castillo road has already been eroded by massive water flow, prompting local officials to temporarily close it to vehicles. Villanueva said the safety and protection of Concepcion residents during heavy rains is the local government’s topmost priority.
Manalo explained that the project was left incomplete due to lack of funds, which led to the erosion of the dike. Villanueva, however, noted that ongoing non-commercial quarrying along portions of the riverbank has helped reduce the impact of upstream water flow.
Local officials are now calling for the completion of the river protection structure before further erosion threatens communities and farmlands in the affected barangays. Villanueva said he will send a formal letter to Secretary Dizon seeking immediate action and funding for the project.
