Former “Pinoy Big Brother Connect” housemate Mika Pajares quipped that her daughter celebrated her birthday on the North Luzon Expressway, which was heavily congested amid flooding caused by the southwest monsoon (habagat).
The single mom shared that her daughter, Bella, turned nine while they were stuck on NLEX, which experienced hours of heavy traffic due to flooding near the San Simon Interchange in Pampanga.
“Grabeng traffic ‘yan, literal na tumanda na anak ko sa NLEX,” Mika wrote on TikTok.
Her post featured a video of them greeting Bella with a “Happy Birthday” while stuck in traffic.
“Grabeng traffic ‘yan, pumasok ‘yung anak kong eight years old sa NLEX, lumabas na siyang nine years old,” the text in video read.
@iamikapajares grabeng traffic yan literal na tumanda na anak ko sa nlex 😔 #fyp #foryoupage ♬ Saxophones getting louder – Sped Up – AntonioVivald
In another post, the PBB alum said that her daughter was able to “properly” celebrate her birthday after surviving the NLEX traffic.
“Sobrang memorable ng birthday niya. Paalam, NLEX traffic at nakapag-celebrate na rin anak ko,” Mika wrote in her post, accompanied by a laughing emoji.
“Invited po lahat ng na-stuck sa NLEX traffic kasama namin,” she quipped.
In another post, Mika said it was her “dream” to make it to the news, but not in that manner.
“At nabalita pa nga. Grabeng birthday ‘to, sobrang core memory,” she wrote.
@iamikapajares at nabalita pa nga 😭🙏 grabeng birthday to sobrang core memory @GMA News #fyp #foryoupage ♬ original sound – mikapajares on ig
NLEX saw intense traffic at Tulaoc Bridge near San Simon town in Pampanga starting August 29, following the torrential rains brought by the habagat, which was enhanced by Tropical Cyclone Pilandok.
NLEX Assistant Vice President for Traffic Operations Robin Ignacio said flooding under the San Simon Interchange was unprecedented, noting that the area had not experienced flooding before.
Advisories had stated that water buildup along some parts of the expressway was attributed to rising water levels in the Pampanga River following persistent downpours.
Pampanga was among the areas heavily affected by widespread flooding caused by continuous rains from the enhanced habagat. Floodwaters reportedly reached as high as 10 feet in some areas.
