According to StraitsTimes, the above settlement was submerged due to the construction of a dam in the northern Philippines in the 1970s. Currently, its ruins in the middle of the Pantabangan Dam in Nueva Ecija province are a tourist attraction. Tourists who want to get close to the ruins must pay about 300 pesos to fishermen to be taken to the temporary island in the middle of the reservoir by boat.
Parts of a church, city hall marker and tombstone began resurfacing in March after months of “close to like there’s no rain.”
This is the sixth time the nearly 300-year-old settlement has reappeared since the reservoir was created to provide irrigation water for local farmers and generate hydroelectricity.
Mr. Paladin said: “In my experience, this is the longest time the above settlement has emerged.”
According to data from the Philippine weather forecasting agency, the reservoir’s water level has dropped nearly 50m compared to the normal level of 221m. March, April and May are typically the hottest and driest months in the island nation, but weather conditions in 2024 have been exacerbated by the El Nino weather phenomenon. About half of the Philippines’ provinces, including Nueva Ecija, are officially in drought.
Visit the new island that arose after the earthquake BBC reporter Aleem Maqbool took a trip to the new island that arose after the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck Pakistan on September 24.
