GETTING through With an umbrella overhead and floodwaters at his feet, a commuter makes his way toward the MRT along Taft Avenue in Manila on 29 August as heavy habagat rains inundate parts of the capital. The tangled wires and concrete infrastructure overhead frame a familiar Manila scene, one in which getting from one place to another can become a test of endurance when the rain comes.
PHOTOGRAPH by Toto Lozano for DAILY TRIBUNE
RISING distress A strong current was seen at Lagarian Creek in Quezon City, with water overflowing amid continued heavy rains on Saturday, 29 August.
PHOTOGRAPH BY Aram Lascano for DAILY TRIBUNE
The unabated rains disrupted transport in Metro Manila, or the National Capital Region (NCR), on Saturday with flooding reported on major roads in several cities and the Pasig River Ferry Service remaining suspended, Flooding was also reported in provinces across Luzon.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) reported Saturday that 2.3-million Filipino families, or about eight million individuals, in 10 regions have been affected by the inclement weather.
The OCD said the combined effects of the southwest monsoon (habagat) and tropical cyclones “Luis,” “Maymay,” and “Neneng” have killed at least 32 people.
The OCD’s latest situation report listed the fatalities as 15 in Benguet due to landslides; one in La Union due to drowning; four in Rizal due to a rockslide, fallen tree, and drowning; four in Batangas due to drowning, electrocution, and landslide; one in Quezon due to drowning; two in Rizal due to electrocution and drowning; one in Negros Occidental due to drowning; two in Caloocan due to drowning; one in Oriental Mindoro; and two in Occidental Mindoro.
The NDRRMC, on the other hand, said 19 persons suffered injuries and three were still missing — one each in Quezon City, Manila and Batangas — with some 25,800 individuals still in 297 evacuation centers across the country.
Infrastructure damage has reached P6.11 billion, while agricultural damage was pegged at P2.32 billion. Some 2,900 houses were damaged, with 349 destroyed, and the government has released P1.65 billion in assistance.
Bulacan, Pampanga submerged
A low pressure area is enhancing the southwest monsoon, with the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) tracking it roughly 520 kilometers north-northeast of Itbayat, Batanes, while another LPA is being monitored outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).
The Office of Civil Defense said Ipo Dam began spilling water at 9 p.m. Friday as its level kept rising, and it notified the Bulacan local government units downstream — Angat, Bustos, San Rafael, Baliwag, Plaridel, Pulilan, Calumpit, Paombong, Hagonoy and Malolos City, to prepare.
As of Saturday morning, the dam was still releasing water with a reservoir elevation of 101.17 meters, just above its 101-meter spilling level.
Angat Dam, meanwhile, had an elevation of 194.62, up nearly 44 meters from 150.55 on 26 July but still 15.38 meters below its 210-meter normal high-water level for the rainy season. Angat itself isn’t spilling; Ipo (downstream of Angat) and Bustos (downstream of Ipo) are making the active releases.
The two Bulacan dams releasing water led to the evacuation of about 200 families in Marilao in the past 24 hours.
The Marilao River began overflowing as floodwaters cascaded down from Norzagaray’s mountainous terrain. The local government has also implemented a forced evacuation for at-risk communities as PAGASA raised an orange alert for the area.
In the Pampanga River Basin, several waterways, a major contributor to flooding in Calumpit specifically, are at critical, alarm, or alert levels, separate from the dam releases but compounding them.
The high tide was adding another layer of peril. Saturday’s high tide was forecast at 3.71 feet (1.13m) at 10:48 a.m., which historically is what causes deeper flooding in Calumpit, Hagonoy, and Paombong when combined with the dam discharge.
Olongapo, Zambales is currently the worst-hit area outside Central Luzon proper, with the continuous monsoon rain since Friday causing flooding and soil erosion, closing major roads and forcing evacuations in a riverside barangay.
PAGASA said heavy rain will continue through Monday, National Heroes Day. Today into tomorrow Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Benguet, Zambales, and Bataan are due for 100-200mm; Metro Manila, Pampanga, Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite and Laguna are in the 50-100mm band.
Ferries anchored
Meanwhile, the Pasig River ferry service remained suspended, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said in an advisory.
At the same time, flooding was reported along major transport corridors from northern Metro Manila to the south, although most affected roads remained passable to vehicles.
The MMDA reported that flooding along Dr. A. Santos Avenue in Parañaque City and at the Zapote Junction in Las Piñas City had reached knee-deep levels.
The portion of Dr. A. Santos Avenue in front of SM Sucat was not passable to light vehicles, while light vehicles were also unable to pass through the Zapote Junction in Barangay Zapote.
Other sections of Dr. A. Santos Avenue, including the areas near Olivarez School and the corner of Canaynay Avenue, had gutter-to-below knee-deep flooding but remained open to traffic.
Flooding was also recorded along several major arteries in Quezon City. Gutter-deep water was reported at Balintawak northbound, the A. Bonifacio Cloverleaf southbound, Central Terminal northbound, Dario Bridge southbound, EDSA North Avenue northbound, and E. Rodriguez Avenue.
Only one lane was passable on EDSA Oliveros northbound where gutter-deep flooding was reported.
In Caloocan, gutter-deep flooding affected portions of Rizal Avenue at 10th Avenue eastbound and 11th Avenue westbound. C3 Road corner the NLEX connector had below-gutter-deep flooding.
Portions of EDSA in Pasay City were also affected, with gutter-deep flooding reported at the EDSA-Roxas Boulevard northbound section.
In Valenzuela, several points along MacArthur Highway had below-gutter-deep flooding, including areas near Goodyear/Toyota, T. Santiago Street, Karuhatan Road, and Fatima Hospital. All routes remained passable to vehicles.
Gutter-deep flooding was also reported in parts of Malabon, including M.H. del Pilar Street and Don Basilio Bautista, while the SM Marikina-Marcos Highway underloop westbound in Marikina experienced similar flooding.
In Mandaluyong, Boni Avenue corner F. Ortigas Street had gutter-to-below knee-deep flooding.
