Zambales resupplies flood-isolated village as over 7,000 evacuees return home

August 12, 2026 | 5:02pm

IBA, Zambales — Local authorities began sending rice and other food supplies on Tuesday, August 11, to stranded residents of Barangay Sta. Fe, two days after the bridge connecting the remote upland village was swept away by strong currents from the lahar-filled Sto. Tomas River.

This, as the skies began clearing after one week of heavy downpour, gave local officials the needed break to undertake relief and clearing operations, and for most of the 7,044 flood evacuees across Zambales to go home.

According to the San Marcelino Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), local rescuers assisted by personnel from the Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine National Police, and Philippine Coast Guard, finally transported today essential commodities to the isolated northern part of Sta. Fe by using an improvised zipline set up on Monday afternoon.

About 1,000 family food packs were brought into the isolated barangay on Monday by a team headed by Mayor Elvis Soria, after establishing an alternate route to the isolated village through the Sto. Tomas River basin.

The food packs are expected to support about three days for the 55 families stranded in the area, the MDRRMO said.

However, continuous delivery of essential goods to the community remains uncertain, as the alternate route, navigable only with 4x4 off-road vehicles, traverses a lahar field and is vulnerable to a sudden rise in water level, the MDRRMO added.

Mayor Soria said the LGU will construct a temporary footbridge in Sta. Fe to restore access between the north and south portions of the barangay once the weather has cleared.

Meanwhile, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) said that most of the 7,046 evacuees in Zambales began going home today, August 11, after heavy rains abated.

Thousands of residents in coastal and riverine areas began evacuating to higher ground from Wednesday last week, August 5, to Monday, August 10, after floodwaters rose up to more than waist-level in some areas, the result of heavy southwest monsoon rains or habagat whipped up by Typhoons “Luis” and “Maymay.” 

The PDRRMO initially recorded evacuees at 1,279 families or 3,810 individuals by 6:00 p.m. on August 9, then grew to 1,698 families and 4,809 individuals at 10:00 p.m. on the same day.

By 11:00 a.m. on August 10, the number of evacuees further increased to 2,251 families or 6,466 individuals, then up to 2,441 families or 7,046 persons by 3:00 p.m. that day.