4 Luzon dams open gates for Pepito rains

Four dams in Luzon had their gates opened on Sunday morning to release water ahead of heavy rains from Super Typhoon Pepito (Man-Yi), with operations continuing into Tuesday despite the typhoon leaving the Philippine area of responsibility on Monday.

As of 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Ambuklao Dam in Benguet had five gates open at 2.5 meters, releasing 355.27 cubic meters per second; Binga Dam also in Benguet opened three gates at 3 meters, discharging 349.60 cubic meters per second.

Magat Dam spanning Ifugao and Isabela continued to release water with four gates open at 7.0 meters, freeing 1,715.06 cubic meters of water per second; San Roque Dam in Pangasinan had no gates open on Tuesday after closing its two spill gates on Monday.

The heavy rains from Typhoon Pepito and the released water caused flooding in Ilagan City, Isabela, with over 800 houses submerged, leaving only rooftops visible according to a local report. The increased water release is expected to impact several municipalities in Isabela, including Alfonso Lista, Ramon, San Mateo, Aurora, Cabatuan, Luna, Reina Mercedes, Burgos, Naguilian, and Gamu.