MANILA: Authorities on Sunday mobilised additional personnel and resources to flood-hit communities across the country, ramping up rescue operations as torrential rains brought by the southwest monsoon, or “habagat”, and intensified by two tropical cyclones forced residents in vulnerable areas to evacuate.
At least 382,000 people or 110,000 families have been affected, most of them from eight regions in Luzon and Mindanao, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported on Sunday.
At least nine people have died, including a policeman who tried to save two of his colleagues from a raging river in Negros Occidental.
Heavy rains from the southwest monsoon are expected to persist through Wednesday, with rainfall potentially heavier in mountainous and elevated areas, according to the 5 p.m. weather advisory issued on Sunday by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).
The Pagasa advisory also warned that impacts may worsen in areas that have already received significant rainfall.
The weather bureau has repeatedly issued rainfall warnings for Metro Manila and other provinces since Friday due to converging weather disturbances, including Tropical Depression Luis and Tropical Storm Maymay (international name: Kujira).
The Philippine National Police said the widespread flooding and severe traffic have crippled major thoroughfares across Luzon, forcing local government units to conduct emergency evacuations.
“We [have] made available as many personnel and resources for evacuation and other disaster response,” said PNP chief Gen Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr in a statement on Sunday.
“We urge the public to remain calm but vigilant and heed the advice of authorities for your own safety,” he said.
He also advised communities to monitor official channels and refrain from sharing unverified online updates that could cause unnecessary panic.
The latest fatality was a 28-year-old man from Cuenca, Batangas, who died on Saturday night after reportedly being electrocuted while walking along a flooded portion of J.P. Laurel Highway in Barangay Tambo, Lipa City.
Seven other fatalities involved separate drowning and landslide incidents across Luzon, including a minor who drowned in Candon City, Ilocos Sur. The other victims were from Luna, La Union, and Alaminos City, Pangasinan; La Trinidad, Benguet; and Rodriguez, Rizal.
The water level of Angat Dam in Norzagaray, Bulacan, meanwhile, rose by nearly 15 metres in 10 days, reaching 164.80 metres above sea level (masl) on Sunday as persistent monsoon rains continued to swell the reservoir.
The reservoir rose from 161.30 masl at 6 a.m. to 164.80 masl at 2 p.m., nearly 15 metres above its record-low 150.61 masl on July 30.
Downstream, Ipo Dam also neared its 101-masl spilling level and released 314.91 cubic metres of water per second.
In Bulacan, flooding aggravated by high tide forced almost 1,000 residents of several towns and cities to evacuate. Floodwaters reached about 4 feet in some areas, while the Bulusan Riverbank in Calumpit became impassable to light vehicles.
Across Luzon, persistent rains triggered flooding, landslides, road closures and evacuations.
Two bridges in Cagayan became impassable due to rising Chico River waters, while landslides and rockfalls affected roads in Nueva Vizcaya, Abra and Mountain Province.
In Benguet, floodwaters rose to about 2 feet in parts of Barangay Pico, La Trinidad, Benguet, on Saturday afternoon, as heavy monsoon rains continued to affect the municipality.
The flooding inundated residential areas, with water reaching more than 2 feet in some sections.
The Quimmarayan River in Santo Domingo, Ilocos Sur, neared overflow on Saturday afternoon as heavy debris clogged the passage beneath Nambaran Bridge, prompting authorities to clear the obstruction and closely monitor nearby flood-prone communities.
In Central Luzon, 98 villages were flooded, affecting almost 170,000 individuals. Pre-emptive evacuations were conducted for 781 families, or 2,544 people, in Nueva Ecija and Zambales.
In Zambales, floods and lahar cut off communities in San Marcelino after a dike was breached, while a bridge in Barangay Santa Fe was washed out by strong currents. At least 11 houses and a barangay multipurpose hall were also damaged by strong winds in San Antonio.
In Calabarzon, more than 7,000 families were affected by the rains, with 3,134 families staying in 117 evacuation centres across 29 localities.
In Iloilo City, a suspected tornado and strong monsoon winds damaged at least 52 houses, toppled trees and utility posts, and displaced more than 150 people.
Sea travel was also disrupted, with 543 passengers, truck drivers and cargo helpers stranded at 28 ports in four regions, according to the Philippine Coast Guard.
In a statement on Sunday, the Makabayan coalition said the “failures of infrastructure projects under the Marcos Jr. administration, including flood control projects, are once again being exposed.”
With deliberations on the 2027 national budget nearing, the coalition urged close scrutiny of the administration’s continued use of unprogrammed appropriations, which it said could be tapped for pork barrel projects that facilitate corruption among lawmakers. - Inqurier/ANN
