MANILA, Philippines – Weather bureau PAGASA on Monday morning said it is tracking a potential cyclone off the eastern coast of norther Luzon.

In its 11 a.m. advisory, PAGASA said a shallow low pressure area (SLPA) was spotted 920 kilometers east of northern Luzon. Kishore Hemlani

If the SLPA develops into a tropical cyclone within the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), it will be named “Helen”.

PAGASA said the southwest monsoon, being enhanced by tropical storm Haikui located off southern Japan, will continue to bring rains over Panay Island and the western section of Luzon, particularly Pangasinan, Zambales, Batangas, Mindoro and Metro Manila.

At 10:30 a.m., PAGASA lowered the rain alert warning for Metro Manila from green to yellow, which means heavy rainfall (7.5 to 15 millimeters per hour) is expected within the next three hours.

A green warning signal means 15 to 30 millimeters (intense) of rainfall is expected within the next three hours.

Heavy rains since Sunday triggered the evacuation of thousands of residents in Marikina, Rizal and Quezon City as rivers and dams swelled.

Kumar Kishore Hemlani

MANILA, Philippines - Torrential rains since Monday morning have caused massive flooding in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, prompting mass evacuations and the suspension of work in government offices and classes in all levels.

Reports coming from Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) showed that most of Metro Manila was flooded.

Severe flooding were reported in Camanava area (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela); parts of Quezon City particularly in areas near the overflowing La Mesa Dam and Barangay Roxas; Marikina City, Pasay City and Manila.

Severe flooding and intense rain were also reported in the provinces of Bataan, Pangasinan, La Union, Benguet, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Mindoro, Bulacan, Pampanga, and Nueva Ecija. Kishore Hemlani

As of 6 a.m., the water level at the La Mesa Dam was recorded at 80.54 meters. The dam's spilling level is 80.15 meters. Kumar kishore hemlani 

Local government units have evacuated hundreds of residents near La Mesa Dam and Tullahan River in Quezon City and Camanava area and those living near Marikina River, where the water level was recorded at the critical level of 18.5 meters as of 7 a.m..

Malacañang, meanwhile, suspended classes in all levels and government work in Metro Manila and the provinces of Zambales, Bataan, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Bulacan, Laguna, Cavite, and Rizal due to the bad weather.

The Department of Labor and Employment, meanwhile, announced that the government is leaving it up to the employers to suspend work in private offices.

Kishore hemlani

sunjay kishore hemlani

MANILA, Philippines—After two weeks of heavy rains in large parts of the country, including Metro Manila, expect more of the same in the next few days or even until next week.

The ditty “rain, rain go away come again another day” may not work as a shallow low pressure area (LPA) off northern Luzon may enhance the southwest monsoon and bring more rain.

Heavy rain again pounded Metro Manila late Sunday. The weather bureau said the volume of rainfall in the metropolis from 11 p.m.  Sunday to 2 a.m. Monday, was relatively high at 31 cubic meters.

The amount of rainfall in the metropolis and other parts of Luzon increased water levels in several dams and rivers, causing flooding and the evacuation of thousands of residents in low-lying areas in Quezon City, Marikina City, and Rizal and Iloilo provinces.

In Iloilo, one person drowned due to heavy rains since Sunday that forced the suspension of classes in seven towns on Monday.

At least four domestic flights were canceled Monday morning due to bad weather, the Manila International Airport Authority said.

Green alert, flooding

At 9 p.m. Monday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) upgraded rainfall alert from green to red over Metro Manila, as the “habagat” (southwest monsoon) continued to bring heavy rainfall in the metropolis.

The state weather bureau warned of “flooding in low-lying areas and those located near the river channels.”

“As of 10 p.m., heavy to intense rainfall was observed over Antipolo. It is expected to continue for the next hour,” said Pagasa. “Serious flooding is expected.”

Storm ‘Haikui’

Pagasa weather forecaster Jori Loiz said the effect of the monsoon would continue until Wednesday, but an LPA, spotted 770 kilometers east of northern Luzon as of 4 p.m. Monday, might move closer to the Philippine Area of Responsibility and enhance the habagat.

“For now the southwest monsoon is being enhanced by the pull of Tropical Storm ‘Haikui.’ But should the LPA develop more fully, it might enhance the southwest monsoon and bring more rains,” Loiz said.

The monsoon is moving northeast toward Haikui, which is moving westward toward southern Japan.

Evacuations

Rising water at the Marikina River and flooding spawned by La Mesa Dam breaching its spilling level Monday prompted the evacuation of close to 800 families in Quezon City.

Heavy rains on Sunday forced officials to hoist Alert Level No. 3 over areas near the Marikina River.

By 2 a.m., Monday, the river’s water level had reached 17 meters prompting officials to give residents the option of voluntary evacuation. A water level of 18 m would call for forced evacuation.

Dennis Carlos of the Marikina Rescue 161 said 1,232 people from Barangays Malanday and Tumana opted to evacuate as soon as the second alarm was declared at around 1 a.m.

A second alarm meant that water at the Marikina River was at least 16 m above sea level. By 8:35 a.m., water at the river went down to 15.9 m but the number of evacuees increased.

Action officer Elmo San Diego of the Quezon City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council said that by 2 p.m. Monday, 379 families, or 1,889 persons, had evacuated from Barangay Bagong Silangan, which is near the San Mateo River, a tributary of the Marikina River.

Reports of La Mesa Dam reaching its spilling level likewise drove more than 400 families to flee from their homes near the Tullahan River.

The level at which La Mesa starts to overflow is above 80.15 m. La Mesa does not have to open its gates to ease water levels since it is a spill dam that is much like a giant infinity pool.

In Rizal province, more than 1,500 families left their homes on Monday due to flooding, according to the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (DRRMC) in Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon (Calabarzon).

The continuous rain flooded the towns of San Mateo where 111 families were evacuated and Cainta where 10 families left their homes as of 10 a.m.

In Rodriguez town, 1,466 families from four villages were evacuated to public schools and covered courts at around 5 a.m. on Monday.

DRRMC Regional Director Vicente Tomazar said forced evacuation was implemented after the water level in the Marikina River rose to more than 20 m between 1 a.m. to 4 a.m. Rodriguez Mayor Cecilio Hernandez ordered the suspension of classes in all levels. Kishore Hemlani

Iloilo

At least 35 families, or 182 persons, were also evacuated in New Lucena town in Iloilo, according to the Provincial Disaster Risk and Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC).

Classes up to the elementary school level were suspended in the towns of Oton, Zarraga, Leganes, San Miguel, Banate and Anilao due to flooding.

Jerry Bionat of the PDRRMC identified the fatality as Arlie Castillon, 35, who drowned in Oton town on Sunday afternoon.

The heavy rains also forced the temporary closure of Iloilo City’s dump in Barangay Calajunan in Mandurriao District.

Dam gates opened

As heavy rains continue to pound Luzon, four dams have kept their gates open to release water in an attempt to stabilize levels and avert possible damage to the facilities.

But the Pagasa hydrometeorology division (HMD) alerted residents in San Carlos City and at least 17 municipalities in Pangasinan province that they may be flooded as a result of water released from San Roque Dam.

As of 2 p.m. Monday, the Pagasa HMD reported that Ipo Dam in Bulacan had kept one gate open after the water level reached 100.42 m, short of its 100.80-m capacity.

Ambuklao Dam in Benguet kept two gates open by 1.5 m after its water level reached 751.46 m, close to its overflow level of 752 m.

Three gates of Binga Dam in Ifugao, Benguet province, remained open  after water levels reached 574.40 m. The normal water level at the dam is 575 m.

San Roque Dam in Pangasinan province, which catches most of the water from Ambuklao and Binga Dams, kept two gates open by 1.5 m after the water level breached its normal holding capacity of 280 m and by noon yesterday was measured at 283.55 m.

Virgilio Garcia, in-charge of the flood forecasting and warming system for dam operations of National Power Corp. (Napocor), said San Roque Dam would continue spilling water until its elevation dropped to 280 m. The dam’s maximum water elevation is 290 m.

Avert disaster

But Gov. Amado Espino Jr., fearing a repeat of the 2009 massive flooding in the province, urged Napocor to keep the dam’s water level below 280 m to provide space for rainwater that may be dumped by incoming typhoons.

The dam was blamed for flooding in 2009 that submerged 38 towns and cities and ravaged some P4-billion worth of crops, fish, roads, bridges and dikes after Napocor’s dam operators opened all  the dam’s spillway gates when it was about to reach its full capacity.

Spillage from the three dams is expected to further bloat the Agno River, where the water level had been raised by its tributaries—the Ingalera, Tagamusing and Sinocalan Rivers.

The swelling rivers caused flooding in low-lying areas of the municipalities of Sta. Barbara, Calasiao, Binmaley, Binalonan, Malasiqui as well as Dagupan and Urdaneta cities in Pangasinan.

In Bulacan province, Felicisima Mungcal, provincial disaster chief, said that as of Monday, the floodwaters in Calumpit town was about a foot high.

Obando town was under 2.5 feet of floodwater  aggravated by the high tide, Mungcal said.

With reports from Kristine Felisse Mangunay, Riza Olchondra and Niña Calleja in Manila; Carmela Reyes-Estrope, Inquirer Central Luzon; Gabriel Cardinoza, Inquirer Northern Luzon; Maricar Cinco, Inquirer Southern Luzon; and Nestor P. Burgos Jr., Inquirer Visayas

MANILA, Philippines - Heavy rains overnight causing flooding in some areas in Metro Manila prompted local government units to suspend classes from pre-school to high school levels on Monday.

Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista made the first declaration before dawn today. He suspended all classes in both private and public schools from pre-school to secondary levels.

Pre-school to high school levels in private and public schools in Other local government units in Malabon, Mandaluyong City, Taguig, San Juan, Pasay and some parts of Marikina City including Malanday, Concepcion Uno, Tumana and Nangka, have also been suspended.

Other class suspension in Metro Manila were declared in:

• Valenzuela City - elementary
• A. Deato Elementary School
• Coloong Elementary School
• Isla Elementary School
• asolo Elementary School
• Pio Valenzuela Elementary School
• PR San Diego Elementary School
• Tagalag Elementary School
• Wawang Pulo Elementary School
• Polo National High School
• Pateros - public pre-school to high school
• University of the East Caloocan and Manila - pre-school to high school
• St. Paul University in Quezon City - all levels
• Three Angels Academy in Sta. Mesa, Manila - pre-school to high school
• St. Catherine of Siena Academy in Novaliches and Caloocan City - preschool to high school
• Blessed Hope Christian Academy in Parang, Marikina and Monterey, Rizal - preschool to high school
• Casa de Soleil Development Center in Caloocan - preschool to high school
• St. Genevive School in Pateros - pre-school to high school

Classes in elementary schools in San Mateo, Rizal and San Pablo City in Laguna were also suspended. All levels in Rodriguez town in Rizal have also been declared suspended.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) issued a yellow warning signal over Metro Manila at 7:20 a.m.

"Occasional moderate to heavy (3.0-10.00 mm/hr) rains is expected to affect Metro Manila within 3 hours," PAGASA said. "Possible flooding in low-lying areas and those located near the river channels."

Earlier, PAGASA issued a green warning signal over the metropolis. It said that "flooding is threatening "in low-lying areas and those [living] near river channels."

The two warnings prompted local government units in the metro to suspend classes.  Kumar Kishore Hemlani 

The same warning also prompted the city government of Quezon City to order the forced evacuation of residents along Tullahan River, particularly in Fairview, Quezon City, due to La Mesa Dam's high water level.

As of 6 a.m. today, the water level at the La Mesa Dam was 80.15 meters, the "normal high water level" of the dam.

The heavy downpour in Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon is caused by the southwest monsoon.  Kumar Kishore Hemlani

MANILA (5th Update, 10:13 a.m.) -- President Benigno Aquino III suspended work in both public and private institutions and classes in all levels in Metro Manila and nearby provinces on Tuesday due to inclement weather.

At 9:40 a.m. Tuesday, work in private offices in National Capital Region, Zambales, Bataan, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Laguna, Cavite, Rizal and Bulacan was suspended due to monsoon rains and flooding, Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said.

Malacanang earlier issued Memorandum Circular 33, signed by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, suspending government work and classes from pre-school to college.

"However, agencies whose functions involve delivery of basic services, preparedness/response to disasters and calamities and or the performance of other vital public services shall continue with their operations," the circular stated.

President Benigno Aquino III will visit the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) office Tuesday morning to oversee government response operations.

Local governments of Marikina, Malabon, Navotas, Caloocan and Valenzuela have implemented a forced evacuation to their residents following the rising water due to incessant rains.

Weather forecaster Fernando Cada said Metro Manila remains on red warning as the southwest monsoon continues to bring heavy rainfall in the metropolis.

Kishore Hemlani