Floods strand thousands

The active low-pressure area east of Northern Luzon has intensified into tropical storm “Dodong,” inducing monsoon rains that left 11 people dead and stranded thousands of commuters in the flooded streets of Metro Manila overnight.

Tropical storm “Chedeng” (international name Pabuk) meanwhile left the country yesterday, drenching Luzon in its wake as it moved toward China.

Senior weather forecaster Ludy Alviar of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Dodong (international name Wutip) will bring more rains to the country, particularly over the western section of Luzon.

Dodong is expected to intensify further within the next six to 12 hours but it would not make landfall or directly affect any part of the country. But Dodong will continue to enhance the southwest monsoon that will bring more rains over Luzon, Alviar said.

As of 10 a.m. yesterday, Dodong was spotted 290 kilometers east of Basco, Batanes, packing winds of 55 kph. It was moving northwest at 19 kph toward Taiwan.

Pagasa hoisted public storm signal number 1 over Batanes and the Babuyan Islands.

Malacañang ordered last night the suspension of classes in all levels today in anticipation of more floods due to monsoon rains.

Covered by the suspension of classes are Metro Manila, Cavite, Pampanga, Rizal, Tarlac, Bulacan, La Union, Pangasinan, the Ilocos provinces, Zambales, Bataan, Benguet and Mountain Province.

As of 4 p.m. yesterday, Dodong was forecast to be 150 kms east of Basco heading towards Taiwan with strength of 65 kph near the center and gustiness up to 80 kph. On Friday, Dodong is expected to be 130 km northwest of Taipei.

Chedeng, on the other hand, was located 430 kms north-northwest of Basco or 223 kms west of southern Taiwan with maximum sustained winds of 110 kph and gustiness of 140 kph. It was moving west-northwest at 30 kph.

Dodong is the fourth tropical cyclone to enter the Philippines this year and the second weather disturbance this month.

Monsoon fury

Both storms bolstered strong monsoon rains that left many streets in Metro Manila flooded, forcing schools to close and leaving commuters stranded since late Tuesday.

Chedeng induced monsoon rains in southern Mindanao, causing a landslide that buried seven houses and killed at least 10 people in Maco, Compostela Valley.

Glenn Rabonza of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said at least 80 residents were evacuated from their homes due to the threat of more landslides in the hilly area.

Six of the fatalities earlier reported by the OCD were identified as Avelino and Romani, both surnamed Cayetano; Annie, Angelito Jr., Joey and Aiza, all surnamed Carreon.

The rains also triggered a landslide in Antipolo City, Rizal as rescue workers pulled out five siblings from the rubble of their house after a concrete wall collapsed during a downpour early yesterday, regional disaster director Vicente Tomazar said.

Tomazar said the Arurong siblings were asleep when a concrete wall beside their house in Brentwood Subdivision, Sitio Maligaya, Mambuyan, collapsed due to soil erosion caused by continuous rain.

In Baguio City, a nine-year-old boy was killed in a landslide that buried his family’s home due to the incessant downpour.

The regional Office of Civil Defense reported Reniel Renon was killed after a landslide buried their  rented house in Purok Ayala-A Slaughter compound in Barangay Sto. Niño yesterday.

A tornado hit several houses in Barangay Capihan, Baliuag, Bulacan, sending several residents scampering but causing no casualties.

Baliuag chief of police Superintendent Perlou Silvio said the tornado damaged 23 houses and tossed a farmer into a nearby rice field.

Silvio said Ildefonso Consumo was sleeping when he was roused by strong winds already ripping the roof of his house.

The tornado tossed Consumo like a rag doll and dumped him in a nearby rice field, causing him only minor injuries, Silvio said.

Floodwaters submerged nearly all of Metro Manila, worst hit being Malabon City where the water was neck deep in some low-lying neighborhoods.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries in the city, local government spokesman Bong Padua said.

The heavy rains also forced suspension of classes in the elementary and high school levels. Some schools in Metro Manila took the initiative to suspend classes in the collegiate level.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) reported that among the most affected areas were the Camanava (Caloocan-Malabon-Navotas-Valenzuela) area, Marikina, Pasay City, Parañaque and Quezon City.

Most roads and main thoroughfares in the National Capital Region are flooded but still passable to all types of vehicles, officials said.

Authorities had to evacuate seven families in Taguig City to save them from being swept away by flashfloods.

The PNP’s Tactical Operation Center of the National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) said some streets in the boundary of Caloocan and Malabon were the most affected by the flooding.

Areas of Marulas and Veinte Reales in Valenzuela City proved difficult for commuters and motorists due to waist-high floods.

In Marikina, all areas in Barangay Concepcion Dos were flooded and not passable to all types of vehicles.

In Quezon City, Araneta Avenue in Barangay E. Rodriguez was also not passable to light vehicles. The areas in Parañaque, Airport Village, Barangay La Huerta, Evacom, Multinational Village, Moonwalk and San Isidro were all not passable to all types of vehicles.

The heavy rains brought about by the storms caused a few cancellations and delays of domestic flights.

Officials, however, allowed international flights at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to resume despite the worsening weather.

Criticism and confusion

The two-day rains also brought criticism on the government’s inability to control flooding in Metro Manila.

But Malacañang assured that government is on top of the situation as far as managing flashfloods is concerned.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said flood control projects have been prepared and implemented even before the monsoon rains arrived.

Ermita though admitted a number of these projects were not completed, particularly the Camanava megadike project.

“This is not something that the national government is not aware of. Some of these projects have a long gestation period,” Ermita said.

Parents also complained about the late announcement of suspension of classes which led to confusion and inconvenience to thousands of students caught stranded in the pouring rain.

The DepEd admitted declaring the suspension of classes at 7 a.m., when many of the students were already on the streets braving the heavy rains.

Officials stressed the apparent miscommunication between local government officials and DepEd in coordinating procedures on calling the suspension of classes.

“We admit there were many cases of miscommunication in certain areas. We would make efforts to address these problems,” DepEd spokesman Kenneth Tirado said.

Ermita added it is up to the local chief executives to decide on the suspension of classes in their respective areas since they are the ones who see the actual situation.

He said that the national government agencies such as the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) and the DepEd can not make any announcements in instances when there is no typhoon signal or alert.

In DepEd Order No. 28, classes are automatically suspended in pre-school classes in private and public schools on typhoon signal no. 1.

The order also states classes are automatically suspended in all levels if the typhoon signal is raised to 3.

Under the same order, DepEd does not have the jurisdiction to call off classes for the tertiary level since it is within the authority of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

But in instances where there is no typhoon signal warnings from Pagasa, the decision to suspend classes is given to the local chief executives, the DepEd regional offices and school principals.

The same DepEd order stressed parents are given the ultimate responsibility to allow their children to attend classes on stormy days. -With Dino Balabo, Artemio Dumlao, Michael Punongbayan, Paolo Romero, Marvin Sy, Rainier Allan Ronda, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Pete Laude, Jaime Laude, Arnell Ozaeta, Myds Supnad, Teddy Molina, AP, Reuters