San Mateo under state of calamity

MANILA, Philippines — The municipality of San Mateo in Rizal has been placed under a state of calamity due to the destruction brought about by the heavy monsoon rains and floods over the weekend.

At least 5,680 families or 27,493 individuals were staying at evacuation centers as 15 barangays of the municipality remain submerged in floodwaters, according to Vic Tomazar of the municipal disaster office.

Tomazar yesterday confirmed San Mateo was placed under a state of calamity with at least 80 percent of the town flooded.

He said residents were forced to evacuate after their houses were submerged by floodwaters.

On Sunday, the water level at the river reached 23.14 meters, way above its critical level of 20 meters.

Officials said the southwest monsoon, which has brought torrential rains in many parts of Luzon, will continue to bring cloudy skies with scattered light to moderate rains over the region in the next two days as another low-pressure area is approaching.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported two more fatalities, bringing to five the number of people killed during heavy monsoon rains over the weekend.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the low-pressure area was spotted off Batanes, which weather forecasters said was “slightly” enhancing the southwest monsoon.

PAGASA weather specialist Ezra Bulquerin, however, assured the public that the low-pressure area has a slim chance of intensifying into a tropical cyclone within the next 24 hours.

The prevailing southwest monsoon would bring scattered to widespread rain over Metro Manila, Ilocos region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Central Luzon, Calabarzon and Mindoro provinces, he said.

Rains in the next days are not expected to be as heavy as last Saturday’s downpour that submerged many sections of Metro Manila and nearby areas, Bulquerin sad.

Two people died while another remains missing due to flashfloods triggered by hours of heavy rain spawned by the southwest monsoon, which was enhanced by Tropical Storm Karding (international name Yagi).

The NDRRMC identified the latest casualty as Edgar Bugaay, 50, of West Riverside street, Barangay San Antonio, Quezon City.

Also in a report yesterday, Region 3’s Disaster and Management Council said the body of a still unidentified girl, aged 13 or 14, was recovered Sunday by the Olongapo Fire and Rescue Team along the Vista Marina lighthouse. No other details were available.

Disaster officials identified the first three drowning victims as Gloria Mendoza of Barangay Old Balara, Quezon City; Gregorio Quilaton who was found dead along Sto. Domingo Avenue in Quezon City; and Dioscoro Camacho, of Balubad Settlement, Barangay Nangka, Marikina City.

A farmer identified as Mencio Abol Amitem went missing after he fell into a drainage canal in Tuba, Benguet on Sunday.

Benguet disaster officials also launched rescue operations for a taxi driver who fell into a canal while carrying the baggage of his passenger along Marcos Highway in Baguio City last Saturday.

PAGASA said Luzon can expect improvement in the weather by late Wednesday or early Thursday. The Visayas and Mindanao would continue to experience fair weather.

Meanwhile, four major dams in Northern Luzon continued to release excess water as of yesterday morning that could trigger heavier flooding.

As of 6 a.m., Ambuklao Dam and Binga Dam, both in Benguet, opened eight gates and six gates, respectively.

San Roque Dam in Pangasinan has four gates open, while Magat Dam in Isabela has one gate open as of yesterday morning.

The NDRRMC remains on red alert status as Metro Manila, the Cordillera Administrative Region, Regions 1, 2 and 3, as well as the Mindoro provinces are expected to experience heavy rains with the prevailing southwest monsoon.

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Oscar Albayalde said a total of 4,058 police personnel were deployed in disaster affected areas to help in rescue and retrieval operations.

Various police units that include the Special Action Force and the Highway Patrol Group were tasked to coordinate with the NDRRMC and local officials to implement forced evacuation in some flood stricken areas in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

Even the detainees in San Mateo, Rizal were ordered evacuated after their detention cells were submerged in floods last Sunday.

High tide and monsoon rains combined to inundate a total of 208 barangays in Central Luzon, the NDRRMC said.

Disaster officials of Region 3 reported 121 barangays were again flooded in Pampanga, 72 in Bulacan, four in Nueva Ecija and 11 in Bataan.

Officials added a total of 2,059 families or 5,553 persons were affected in 75 barangays in Region 3. It also said a total of 19 houses in Sta. Cruz and Botolan, Zambales were either partially or totally destroyed by strong currents. –  With Helen Flores, Michael Punongbayan, Artemio Dumlao, Eva Visperas, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Rhodina Villanueva, Ramon Efren Lazaro, Delon Porcalla, Romina Cabrera, Raymund Catindig, Ding Cervantes, Jun Elias, Cesar Ramirez, Edu Punay, Rainier Allan Ronda, Paolo Romero