Schools and government offices closed across parts of the northern Philippines on Monday as monsoon flooding intensified by two tropical cyclones continued to submerge roads and communities.
Classes were suspended at all levels in Abra province, including work at government offices, GMA News reported. The University of Santo Tomas in Manila moved to remote instruction.
Eight people have died and one remains missing, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council figures reported by the Philippine News Agency. Fatalities were recorded in the Ilocos region, the Cordillera Administrative Region and Calabarzon.
Roughly 486,000 people across eight regions have been affected. 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, with infrastructure damage estimated at 105.5 million pesos.
The Office of Civil Defense said 182 areas in northern Luzon remained flooded, including parts of Calabarzon and Mimaropa, with landslides reported in several provinces. Deputy Administrator Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said 110,000 families had been affected.
Flooding persisted along Taft Avenue and roads in Las Piñas, Parañaque, Malabon, Quezon City and Manila, according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority. Water reached chest depth in parts of Quezon City.
The Marikina River rose to 16 meters, prompting authorities to raise the second alarm. The third alarm, which triggers forced evacuation, is set at 18 meters. In Pasig, 531 families were staying at seven evacuation centers.
The weather bureau PAGASA said the monsoon, enhanced by Tropical Depression Maymay, would continue bringing rain over Metro Manila, Luzon and the Visayas, with red rainfall alerts for Ilocos Sur and Benguet.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered government agencies to remain on heightened alert.