Philippines Flood Project Relocated 90 Pampanga Families to Flood-Prone Site

Human Rights Watch said authorities in Macabebe, Pampanga, relocated 90 families from Pulo Island on the Pampanga River in 2022 for a flood-control project. The organization said residents were not given adequate consultation or information. [1][2]

The families were moved to a low-lying area in Macabebe that had previously been a fish pond. Human Rights Watch said the site floods throughout the year, creating recurring difficulty accessing services and livelihoods. [1][2]

The community wanted to remain together, but Human Rights Watch said some family members have been separated. The account identifies the relocation’s social and economic effects, rather than reporting a new evacuation. [1][2]

Two Department of Public Works and Highways engineers told Human Rights Watch that removing the island was already overdue because it had been proposed under an earlier project. The project’s stated flood-mitigation purpose therefore predated the 2022 relocation. [1][2]

Contracts and budget line items show that the department’s flood-control cluster awarded two contracts in 2019 and 2020, worth 157 million Philippine pesos, to remove Pulo Island through its yearly flood-mitigation program. [1][2]