Rains, floods paralyze parts of Metro Manila

MANILA, Philippines — Intermittent rains brought by a low-pressure area submerged Metro Manila in floods, causing massive traffic jams in some parts and public transport struggles in most areas.

Commuters and motorists endured the heavy traffic buildup along the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), which started on the evening of July 12.

The tail end of the buildup, at the northbound lane of SLEX to Manila, reached as long as 17.2 kilometers to Sta. Rosa in Laguna past 9 a.m. yesterday, according to SLEX’s official Twitter account.

The long queue of cars reached 16.3 kilometers past 11 a.m., and was reduced to 13 kilometers reaching Mamplasan area in Biñan, Laguna before 4 p.m.

As of 5:10 p.m., SLEX reported persistent heavy traffic at the northbound lane, particularly at Petang Bridge in Sta. Rosa with tail end at 600 meters, Alaska layby with tail end at 3.3 kilometers, and Alabang viaduct at 3.5 kms.

Muntinlupa City Mayor Ruffy Biazon in his tweet early morning said he was “met by this standstill, bumper to bumper situation” after entering SLEX through the Filinvest gate. He also said “a friend posted he left (Quezon City) at 4 a.m. and at 6 a.m. he was also (still) in same situation in Magallanes.”

Netizens took to social media, saying they waited for as long as five hours stuck in traffic and were already running late for class or work. Some were filmed walking amid the downpour.

They also posted photos and videos of flooding at the areas of the Bicutan and Sucat gates of SLEX, which some motorists claimed caused their cars and motorcycles to stall after trying to wade through.

Passing through the Skyway did not help as heavy vehicular build-up also reached its flyovers.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) monitored the flooding at the Sun Valley area in Parañaque, which it described as “knee-deep” and “not passable to all types of vehicles.” It added the Bicutan area also experienced “gutter-deep” flooding, causing “slow moving traffic.”

It added the flooding also affected local roads in the cities of Muntinlupa, Las Piñas and Pasay, and even caused traffic along the southbound lane of EDSA up to Timog flyover.

MMDA acting Chairman Romando Artes said in an interview with GMA News that while the areas affected by flooding along SLEX were not among those under its watch, the agency coordinated with concerned local government units for traffic management.

He disclosed a company performing road works ruined the drainage systems of SLEX and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). According to earlier reports, a mall was conducting expansion.

The company asked for another week to repair the drainage system, he said.

Both Artes and San Miguel Corp., which operates SLEX, said they deployed teams and equipment to drain floodwater faster.

More rainfall

The low-pressure area (LPA) off Aurora and the southwest monsoon will continue to bring rains over parts of the country today, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

State weather forecasters said there is a low chance that the LPA will develop into a tropical cyclone but it will edge closer to parts of Eastern Luzon.

The LPA and the southwest monsoon will bring monsoon rains over Metro Manila, Ilocos region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon and Mimaropa.

Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon or habagat will bring occasional rains over Bicol region and Western Visayas.

Habagat will also bring scattered rain showers over Central and Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga peninsula, Northern Mindanao and BARMM.

Localized thunderstorms will also bring isolated rains over Caraga and Davao region.

PAGASA warned of possible flooding or landslides during at times heavy rains.

Cancelled flights

Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific spokesperson Carmina Romero said that some flights that are scheduled to depart on July 14 from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) may be subjected to delay or possible cancelation as bad weather persists.

Due to inclement weather, flooding, and traffic conditions to and from the airport, the airline is extending flexible options such as free rebooking and travel fund for its July 14 flights until 11:59 p.m.

The Media Affairs Division of the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) has announced the cancellation of 10 domestic flights of AirSwift yesterday from Manila to El Nido and its turn-around flights including Busuanga-Manila due to unfavorable weather.

MIAA Airport Ground Operations and Safety Division (MIAA-AGOSD) on July 12 issued the first Lightning Red Alert advisory at 1:44 p.m. suspending all flights and ground operations of NAIA.

The alert was lowered to yellow as of 2:46 p.m. as flight operations resumed despite some delays.

Skyway drainage problem

San Miguel Corp., operator of Skyway, the elevated tollway that connects north and south Luzon, has apologized to motorists affected by heavy flooding Wednesday night as torrential rains battered parts of Metro Manila.

“We would like to express our sincerest apologies to motorists affected by the heavy flooding at the Skyway At Grade (ground level) Bicutan in Parañaque City following continuing moderate to heavy rains since 6:00 p.m. of Wednesday, July 12 until Thursday, July 13 resulting in heavy traffic on both directions of the expressway.”

Skyway O&M Corp. noted that while this portion of the Skyway System remained flood-free in the past, over the past months, the rise in floodwaters at the carriageway has become evident.

“These incidents were primarily due to a drainage system problem outside of the Skyway system, which we traced in February this year, due to ongoing construction works in the area that are unrelated to our operations and outside our direct control,” the company said.

Skyway O&M Corp. has been in constant contact with the Department of Public Works and Highways and other government agencies and the private sector in the area to find a way to jointly address the problem.