The Pampanga Police Provincial Office (PPO), under the Police Regional Office 3 (PRO3), continues its active "Libreng Sakay" (free ride) initiatives and emergency rescue operations as of August 10, 2026, to support residents stranded by severe flooding. The combined onslaught of Typhoon Luis, Tropical Storm Maymay (Kujira), and the southwest monsoon (Habagat) has heavily inundated Central Luzon, prompting national and local agencies to mobilize extensive disaster response teams across the region.
Severe Flooding and Police Response
Widespread flooding has swamped over 50 barangays across Pampanga, with the hardest-hit towns being Masantol, Macabebe, Minalin, Bacolor, and parts of the City of San Fernando. The state weather bureau issued a critical flood bulletin warning that pluvial and fluvial flooding (river overflowing) will remain for several days along the lower sections of the Pampanga River Basin. Multiple thoroughfares, including portions of Sta. Lucia road in Masantol and several barangay roads in San Fernando, remain impassable to light vehicles.
Marked police vehicles, trucks, and mobile patrols are continuously deployed along flooded routes to shuttle stranded workers, commuters, and the elderly safely. Local government units (LGUs) have also pre-positioned auxiliary vehicles to secure transport lines. PNP rescue personnel equipped with rubber boats have successfully evacuated thousands of families to safe zones. At least 46 evacuation centers are actively open across Central Luzon . President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed concerned agencies to remain on heightened alert, closely coordinate on water releases, and take necessary preventive measures to protect communities.
How to Stay Safe
Authorities urge residents to avoid wading in floodwaters to prevent drowning or contracting waterborne diseases like leptospirosis. If local officials advise evacuation, residents should move to designated centers immediately. The public is advised to monitor official channels like the PAGASA Facebook Page and the PNP Pampanga PPO Facebook Page for updates on passable roads and rain warnings. Police visibility and patrols are being enforced in evacuated communities to protect property and prevent criminal activities.
