Typhoon “Pepeng” may have left the country but residents in the provinces of Isabela and Cagayan on Sunday continue to worry as water levels in Magat dam remain critical.

Two of the dam's gates were earlier opened to continuously release water.

Edwin Paison, dam and reservoir division's engineer, said says residents should not be alarmed since there has been no heavy rains in the past days to trigger floods.

As of 1 p.m. Sunday however, the state weather agency Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said only 1 gate of the dam was spilling and at 551 cubic meters per second.

Relief goods meanwhile have reached most of the affected villages in Cagayan except for those in Calayan and Fuga islands.

Rough sea conditions have hampered relief operations there.

President Arroyo has told local officials to speed up the opening of an alternate route to Cagayan valley via Pantabangan in Nueva Ecija to Nagtipunan-Quirino road. ABS-CBN News Channel