MALASIQUI, Oct. 14 -- The provincial government of Pangasinan will create a Flood Management Department that will lead the planning and implementation of projects related to flood mitigation.

In a statement on Tuesday, Governor Ramon Guico III said this office would focus on research, community information, and other disaster risk reduction and management functions, as well as long-term efforts, such as scientific studies, disaster risk reduction measures, and community participation.

He cited an urgent need to identify the cause of the sudden rise of floodwaters even in towns in eastern Pangasinan, which have not experienced flooding in the past.

Vice Governor Mark Ronald Lambino, in a separate interview, said the hearing at the commi...