Philippine Flooding Kills Eight as Monsoon Rains Displace 110,000 Families

Eight people have died and one is missing in the Philippines as the southwest monsoon, intensified by two tropical cyclones, has flooded large parts of Luzon and Metro Manila, the government said Sunday.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported the toll, with fatalities recorded in the Ilocos region, the Cordillera Administrative Region and Calabarzon, according to the Philippine News Agency. Roughly 486,000 people have been affected.

The Office of Civil Defense said 182 areas in northern Luzon remained flooded as of Sunday morning, including parts of Calabarzon and Mimaropa, with landslides also reported. Deputy Administrator Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said 110,000 families have been affected, GMA News reported.

There are 119 active evacuation centers sheltering 2,500 families, or about 8,300 people. A total of 170 houses have been damaged, 13 of them destroyed. Infrastructure damage is estimated at 105.5 million pesos and agricultural losses at 3.5 million pesos, according to the PNA.

In Metro Manila, flooding persisted through Sunday afternoon along sections of Taft Avenue and roads in Las Piñas, Parañaque, Malabon, Quezon City and Manila, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority reported. Water reached chest depth in parts of Quezon City.

The Marikina River rose to 16 meters Sunday morning, prompting local authorities to raise the second alarm, GMA News reported. Under the city's system, the third alarm triggers forced evacuation at 18 meters. In Pasig, 531 families were staying at seven evacuation centers as of Sunday afternoon, Manila Bulletin reported.

The Philippine Coast Guard rescued 102 residents in Imus City, Cavite, on Saturday.

The weather bureau PAGASA said the monsoon, enhanced by Tropical Depression Maymay, will continue to bring rain over Metro Manila, Luzon and the Visayas, with red rainfall alerts issued for Ilocos Sur and Benguet.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered government agencies to remain on heightened alert. Classes have been suspended Monday in several areas, including all levels in Abra province.