The growing number of informal settlers along the Abacan River, particularly in areas designated as no-build zones, pose a challenge to urban development projects in Angeles City, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Drone footage taken by CLTV36 News’ Paulo Gee Santos in Barangay Pandan shows compressed houses along the riverbank.
Some structures are made of light materials and supported by long bamboo poles.
In an earlier report by CLTV36 News, the DPWH Pampanga 3rd District Engineering Office identified the presence of houses built in designated no-build zones as one of the challenges in implementing infrastructure projects, including the Abacan Access Road and slope protection projects.
To prevent additional structures from being built in restricted areas, the DPWH is proposing the installation of perimeter fence to protect infrastructure along the river.
Barangay Pandan Chairman Cors Alejandrino said that based on the latest census conducted in 2025, an estimated 3,000 households, or approximately 12,000 individuals, belong to the informal settler population living along the Abacan River. | via Paulo Santos, CLTV36 News