Dagupan Businesses Deeply Affected by Prolonged Flooding

DAGUPAN CITY — For a month now, a one-year-old eatery along Old De Venecia Road in this coastal city has remained closed. The road fronting it has been underwater for almost the entire month of August and into September. Whenever the water subsides slightly, the eatery opens, its owners hoping some customers will come. “But of course, there’s just a handful of customers because most areas in the city and nearby towns are under water. Even our delivery services are limited because they could not deliver to flooded areas,” the eatery owner, who asked not to be named, told the Inquirer. READ: Pangasinan gov pushes for river dredging to ease flooding In the central business district, a fast-food restaurant also had to close after the area was flooded beginning in the first week of August, as “there are no customers,” a waitress said. The owner of a building in the central business district said an entrepreneur who runs a convenience store had second thoughts of renting a space for a branch there because of the flood. In nearby Calasiao town, a vehicle repair shop has been “idle” for weeks. “Maybe the owners are waiting until the water has subsided before they have their vehicles repaired or checked,” the mechanic-owner said. The small business sector, particularly small-scale enterprises, is already reeling from losses caused by the flooding since the first week of August. But unlike agriculture and fisheries, where calamity-related losses are formally recorded, there is no official data yet on the extent of losses suffered by business owners. Natalie Basto-Dalaten, provincial manager of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), said the agency is gathering data through its Negosyo Center business counselors. There are 1,580 operating MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) in Dagupan City this year, down from 2,223 which were registered in 2025, the DTI said. Dalaten said MSMEs are dealing with interrupted business operations, closing one day, then opening the next. But even a multibranch local restaurant is feeling the pinch, said Joseph Lo, whose family operates Pedrito’s Restaurant, which has eight branches in Pangasinan and two in La Union. It also has “express stores” in Lingayen and Dagupan. Lo noted that turnout at their main restaurant along the still flooded Tapuac Road is sparse, with only two tables occupied when, during normal times, two-thirds of the tables would have been occupied by noon. Another problem faced by restaurant owners, he said, is the supply of vegetables, meat and other ingredients, which cannot be transported efficiently because of flooding. The company had to purchase tractors with trailers to navigate heavily flooded roads to transport supplies. “Still, we have limited storage facilities, so we can’t really buy too much supply even if we wanted to,” Lo said. The company also secured dormitories near the workplaces so employees can continue reporting for work. “We dip into our reserve funds to continue operations and pay our employees, even when we are losing. But what about the small businessmen with little or no reserve funds at all? After a month of losing, they are forced to close,” Lo said. Frustrated residents along a city street earlier posted an open letter to City Mayor Belen Fernandez, appealing for “urgent help” after their area on Zamora Street Extension in Barangay Pogo Chico remained flooded for 35 days, from Aug. 2 until Sept. 6. The street was still flooded as of Thursday. The complaining residents put out a video showing that the floodwater has not subsided and houses and small stores are still submerged. “We are now suffering from health risks—dengue, skin disease, leptospirosis, live wires and electrical danger from the submerged houses, and no livelihood for small store owners,” the residents said. READ: Dagupan City declares state of calamity due to widespread flooding After the letter went viral online, Fernandez visited the street and said the canals would be cleared once the water subsides and that low-lying portions of the street would be elevated. But residents asked for a long-term solution, not just elevating the road which disadvantages their homes which remain at lower elevation. Lo said Dagupan could be saved from flooding if the national government would provide “real money” for flood control projects. According to the Sumbong sa Pangulo portal, the city got P448 million flood control funds from 2023-2025. “I don’t think the local government can do much about it. If only a little amount is given to the local government, the projects will only be Band-Aid remedies. If you really want a long-term solution, it should start with the delta—Sabangan in Pugaro River. Dredge the delta, not the river,” Lo said.