Kalinga sa Kalumpit

The Rotary Club of Manila and the Rotary Club of Calumpit delivered relief assistance to hundreds of families in flood-stricken communities in Bulacan and Pampanga reaching areas that remained inaccessible to ordinary relief vehicles.

Under the “Kalinga sa Calumpit” relief initiative, the two Rotary clubs distributed 210 relief packs to families in Barangay Gugo, Barangay Santa Lucia and Barangay Bulusan. Later that afternoon, the mission was extended to communities near Macabebe and Masantol in Pampanga, where rice packs were prepared for an additional 70 families.

The Rotary Club of Manila delegation was led by its president, Reginald T. Yu, together with Past District Governor Obet Pagdanganan, Past Director Dr. Oscar del Rosario, Director Mike Roxas and Past Director Anton Mauricio.

Despite the cessation of heavy rains, severe flooding continued to affect the three Calumpit barangays. Muddy water reached depths of up to five feet in some areas, turning roads into waterways and leaving homes isolated. Residents were forced to wade through contaminated floodwater to obtain rice, drinking water, medicine and other necessities.

Beneath the water were mud, garbage, broken glass, open drainage canals and other hazards. Prolonged exposure also placed residents at risk of leptospirosis, a potentially fatal bacterial disease commonly associated with contaminated floodwater.

For families living far from established relief centers, securing basic supplies required a dangerous journey through waist-deep water, followed by the equally difficult task of carrying the provisions home. The situation was especially challenging for elderly residents, children and families without access to boats, protective boots or money for transportation.

The three communities have a combined estimated population of more than 6,700. Barangay Bulusan has approximately 2,564 residents, Barangay Santa Lucia about 2,206 and Barangay Gugo around 1,960. Because the barangays are located far from the main roads, reaching them required boats, protective equipment and detailed knowledge of local waterways.

Local Partnership Makes Mission Possible

The Rotary Club of Calumpit, led by President Aurelio Catahan, provided critical logistical support for the operation. Club members guided the Manila delegation through the submerged communities and arranged the water transportation needed to reach isolated neighborhoods. Local volunteers identified passable routes and helped determine which areas had received limited assistance.

Relief packs were loaded onto small boats and transported through waterways that had previously served as streets. The vessels passed submerged fences, utility poles, rooftops and homes surrounded by floodwater. At several points, volunteers had to steady the boats as they carried passengers and relief supplies through the flooded neighborhoods.

Families gathered at accessible locations along the routes as the boats approached. Some residents stood in waist-deep water, while others waited on elevated doorways or aboard improvised vessels.

Each relief pack contained essential provisions intended to reduce the need for residents to make another hazardous trip through contaminated water. The assistance provided food for families, particularly those with children and elderly members who were unable to leave their homes safely.

Yu said the conditions demonstrated how flooding had transformed an emergency into a prolonged daily struggle for affected residents. While the relief operation lasted only a day for the volunteers, many families had already endured days of disrupted livelihoods, limited mobility and uncertainty over when the floodwaters would recede.

The three barangay leaders assisted in coordinating the distribution: Chairwoman Carlota Marcelino of Barangay Gugo, Chairman Rolan San Angel of Barangay Santa Lucia and Chairman Danilo Marin of Barangay Bulusan. The Rotary Club of Manila acknowledged their role in ensuring that the relief goods reached intended recipients in their respective communities.

Relief Effort Extended to Pampanga

The mission took an unexpected turn later in the afternoon when Selin Bautista Hernandez alerted the Rotary volunteers to the plight of flood-affected residents in nearby Pampanga who remained outside the reach of regular government relief operations. Responding to the appeal, the delegation traveled approximately 12 kilometers toward Macabebe and Masantol.

Reports indicated that 19 barangays in Macabebe and 26 barangays in Masantol remained flooded, with water levels ranging from 0.3 to 1.5 meters. An estimated 52,056 families were affected by the flooding in the two municipalities.

By that time, the relief packs originally prepared for Calumpit had already been distributed. With no supplies allocated in advance for a second operation, the volunteers purchased rice and assembled additional packs for 70 families.

Although the emergency allocation represented only a small portion of the overall need, organizers said the urgent conditions required an immediate response using the resources available at the time.

The operation highlighted the widespread effects of the flooding across Central Luzon, where families faced damage to homes, interrupted employment, suspended schooling and limited access to food, medicine and clean water. For isolated residents, boats had become essential transportation, while basic commodities such as rice and drinking water had become critical forms of security.

Reaching Communities Beyond the Main Roads

The Rotary Club of Manila said the operation demonstrated the need to bring assistance beyond accessible evacuation centers and distribution points. “Kalinga,” the Filipino word for care, was reflected in the effort to cross difficult and potentially dangerous conditions to reach families who could not safely travel to obtain aid.

The mission also underscored the importance of cooperation among civic organizations, local leaders, volunteers, boat operators and donors during disasters.

The 210 relief packs distributed in Calumpit and the rice assistance prepared for 70 families in Pampanga could not address the full extent of the emergency. They could not drain the floodwaters, restore livelihoods, reopen schools or eliminate the threat of waterborne disease.

However, Rotary organizers stressed that the scale of the disaster should not discourage immediate action. For the families reached during the mission, the assistance meant food, reduced exposure to contaminated water and reassurance that their communities had not been forgotten.

Yu said leadership in a service organization must extend beyond meetings, speeches and official titles. It requires a willingness to enter difficult conditions and personally reach people separated from assistance by distance, flooding and lack of transportation.

The Rotary Club of Manila expressed its appreciation to the Rotary Club of Calumpit and President Catahan, as well as the participating barangay officials, volunteers, boat operators, donors and residents who supported the operation. The Club also thanked Hernandez for calling attention to the conditions in Macabebe and Masantol, enabling the volunteers to extend the relief effort beyond its original scope.

Yu said the courage and patience shown by residents throughout the flooded communities served as a reminder that difficult access must never cause vulnerable families to disappear from public concern.

Through “Kalinga sa Calumpit,” the Rotary Club of Manila reaffirmed its commitment to seek out communities beyond the main roads and reach residents whom conventional transportation and relief operations could not readily serve.

The initiative embodied Rotary’s principle of “Service Above Self” and its call to “Create Lasting Impact,” conveying a clear message to families living behind the floodwaters: no community should be forgotten simply because the road leading to it has disappeared.