Manila, Philippines - Incessant heavy rains flooded most parts of Metro Manila yesterday, prompting authorities to suspend classes at all levels today in Las Piñas and Muntinlupa as well as in Rosario, Cavite and Taytay, Rizal.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said yesterday rains would continue to prevail today over the western section of Luzon and Panay Island even as it spotted a new potential cyclone east of Northern Luzon.
Last night, several major thoroughfares in Metro Manila and neighboring areas were nearly impassable due to floods.
Four major dams in Luzon continued to release water yesterday due to non-stop rains brought by the southwest monsoon, which was enhanced by tropical storm “Haiku” off southern Japan.
The Ipo dam in Bulacan opened two gates at 6 a.m. and 4 p.m. It released a total of 40 cms. (cubic meters per second) of water but closed its gates later in the afternoon.
Ambuklao Dam opened two gates twice, releasing 260 cms. of water at 6 a.m. and 267 cms. at 4 p.m.
The Binga dam opened three gates gate at three meters and released 410 cms. of water at 6 am. Ten hours later, the dam opened three gates at three meters and spilled 458 cms. of water.
On the other hand, San Roque dam also opened two gates twice.
Two gates of the dam were opened at 1.5 meters and released an equivalent of 500 cms. of water at 6 a.m.
At 4 p.m., the dam released 499 cms. as it opened two gates at 1.5 meters.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said the release of water in Ambuklao, Binga and San Roque could affect areas in Sta. Maria, Rosales, San Carlos, Bugallon, Labrador, Lingayen and Mangatarem all in Pangasinan.
The dams in Binga and Ambuklao in Benguet have opened two and three gates, respectively, as of 6 a.m. yesterday.
San Roque dam in Pangasinan, on the other hand, has opened two gates.
The La Mesa Dam in Quezon City also reached spilling level of 80.15 meters yesterday.
PAGASA said moderate to heavy rains are expected over the western section of Luzon particularly in Pangasinan, Zambales, Batangas and Mindoro and the National Capital Region and Panay Island due to the southwest monsoon, which may trigger flashfloods and landslides.
Light to moderate rains, meanwhile, will continue over the rest of Luzon.
The shallow low pressure area was spotted at 770 kilometers east of Northern Luzon as of 2 p.m. yesterday. It will be given the local name “Helen” once it intensifies into a tropical cyclone within the Philippine area of responsibility.
Thousands displaced
Thousands were displaced in Metro Manila, according to the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) National Capital Region (NCR).
Susana Cruz, OCD-NCR director, said at least 1,792 families had been moved to evacuation centers in Marikina, Valenzuela and Quezon City. The figure translates to roughly more than 6,000 persons.
In Marikina City, 873 families or 4,098 persons were evacuated to four temporary shelters after Marikina River’s water level rose to 17 meters above sea level.
Mayor Del de Guzman suspended classes in elementary and secondary levels in barangays Tumana, Malanday, Nangka and Concepcion Uno due to flooding.
The stream gauge level placed below the Marikina Bridge in Barangay Sto. Niño recorded the highest water level of the river so far in two weeks of heavy rains and the Alert Level 3 was immediately put into effect.
De Guzman said 206 families (1,034 persons) are now temporarily given shelter at the Bulelak covered court and 278 families (1,471 persons) at the Malanday Elementary School, both in Barangay Malanday; 357 families (1,362 persons) at the H. Bautista Elementary School in Barangay Tumana and 43 families (269 persons) at the Concepcion Integrated School in Barangay Concepcion.
Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim also suspended yesterday all afternoon classes in all levels in public schools due to the inclement weather. However, Lim left the suspension of classes in private schools within the city to the discretion of their respective administrations.
At least 260 persons or 52 families were evacuated to 105 covered courts in the city.
The Malabon City government also suspended classes at all levels in private and public schools yesterday morning.
Jinky Bautista, of the Malabon City public information office, said floods in most of the city’s 21 barangays already receded, except in barangays Dampalit and Panghulo.
A total of 140 families are now inside the Dampalit Elementary School.
In Navotas, Gilbert Rivera of the city’s public information office said that classes in the city returned to normal yesterday as the 1.6-meter high tide in the afternoon had only minimal effects in the area.
The local government placed the city last week in a state of calamity after floodwaters brought about by typhoon “Gener” compounded by almost two-meter high tide inundated 14 villages.
An estimated 138 families were moved to three temporary shelters.
Several schools in the city of Valenzuela still suspended classes yesterday due to floods even as the local government declared 18 out of 32 barangays under a state of calamity.
A total of 1,344 persons were displaced in Valenzuela.
In Caloocan City, Mayor Enrico Echiverri tasked school officials to decide the suspension of classes in their respective schools.
The Kaunlaran Elementary School in Barangay 20 in Dagat-Dagatan, Caloocan City suspended classes yesterday due to intermittent heavy rains.
Education Secretary Armin Luistro shrugged off the lost school days caused by the string of class suspensions last week and at the start of the week yesterday, saying that take home lessons and makeup classes can still address the learning hours lost by school children.
Thousand of families in 226 barangays and 34 municipalities and cities in the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Rizal and Batangas were also affected.
Reports reaching Vicente Tomazar, regional director of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) 4A and OCD chairpersons, said a total of 6,178 families from five provinces and 194,789 evacuees and 226 barangays were displaced.
Tomazar said a 21-year-old man identified as Christian Fontanilla drowned in Lucban, Quezon.
Classes were suspended on all levels in public and private schools in San Mateo and Rodriguez, Rizal, Ternate, Cavite, and San Pablo City in Laguna.
Several roads such as Sampaloc Nagsandig road in Barangay Looc in Cardona, Rizal are still flooded and not passable to all types of vehicles, the reports added.
Some 119 villages in the 10 municipalities of Pampanga are still under water.
Villages still flooded due to continuous rains since last week are in the towns of San Simon (4), Candaba (2), Apalit (4), Macabebe (25), Minalin (15), Bacolor (2), Guagua (14), Masantol (21), Lubao (25) and Sto. Tomas (7).
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Center (PDRRMC) said that at least 154 families from Masantol town were temporarily evacuated to various schools and chapels.
Mounting casualties
Meanwhile, the death toll from typhoon Gener rose to 50 yesterday.
The latest fatality was identified as Erwin Ramos, 34, who drowned after the boat carrying him capsized in Laguna Lake.
In Southern Leyte, the bodies of two persons, namely Orlando Calang, 47, and Jeffrick Calang, 23, were found in San Ricardo town. The two went missing last Wednesday and died of drowning.
A certain Eduardo Agnes III, 32, of Palawan died after he was struck by lightning.
The NDRRMC said Gener has left 35 persons injured and six others missing.
The typhoon has damaged P339.8 million worth of property. Of this, P124.5 million accounted for infrastructure, P532,000 constituted private properties and P214.8 million for agriculture.
Gener also damaged 8,443 houses nationwide. It has affected 867,799 persons or 193,682 families in 14 regions, including Metro Manila.
A total of P3.2 million worth of relief goods have been already been extended to the victims of typhoon Gener in Central Luzon.
Adelina Apostol, director of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Central Luzon, said the assistance was provided to the typhoon victims in six provinces of the region with the help and support from the local government units (LGUs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
Of the total assistance, Apostol said the DSWD has released some P849,122 and P705,030 to the provinces of Bulacan and Bataan, respectively.
She said that aside from the DSWD’s augmentation support to the affected LGUs, the bulk of the assistance came from concerned provincial governments, P1.53 million; municipal governments, P109,488; and barangays, P5,500.
Various NGOs also extended their assistance worth P67,200, she said.
