MANILA, Philippines — Parts of Metro Manila were submerged in floodwaters due to heavy rains yesterday, causing traffic jams in major roads.
A portion of EDSA northbound near Gate 3 of Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City had up to 19 inches of floodwater since before noon, according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
Private vehicles and buses using the EDSA Bus Carousel at the innermost lane of EDSA got stuck and did not attempt to pass through the deep flood, as shown in photos from the MMDA Metrobase.
The floodwaters even almost completely submerged the concrete barrier of the Bus Carousel, resulting in the line of stranded vehicles to reach as far as Guadalupe in Makati City.
A traffic enforcer was assigned to assist motorists who attempted to drive through the flood.
The flood at EDSA northbound near Camp Aguinaldo Gate 3 subsided at around 2:17 p.m., allowing some cars to pass through, the MMDA reported.
Also flooded were EDSA northbound near a mall in Quezon Avenue with 10 inches of flood and EDSA southbound at the intersection of Panay Avenue with eight inches of flood.
Parts of Manila also got flooded with gutter-deep water, reported the Manila city government.
Flooding was reported along Taft Avenue at the intersection of United Nations Avenue and Ayala Boulevard, the northbound lane of P. Burgos Avenue in front of the Bonifacio Shrine and the intersection of Moriones and Morga in Tondo.
The MMDA also monitored flooding in parts of España Boulevard, with six inches of flooding at the intersection of Antipolo Street and eight inches of flood near Dela Fuente Street.
Several areas in Malabon were also flooded, according to the Malabon city government.
The most affected area was Sitio 6 in Barangay Catmon, where roads were not passable to light vehicles.
The streets of Pampano, M.H. del Pilar and Rodriguez were also submerged in six to eight inches of floodwaters.
Also flooded were C. Arellano, Camus, Maria Clara, F. Sevilla and Estrella streets and Rizal Avenue.
The water level at the Tinajeros Bridge reached 11 meters as of 1 p.m., which was still below the critical level of 12.5 meters.
The San Juan River breached critical level at 13.78 meters at 1.40 p.m.
The floods also invaded some stations of the Philippine National Railways, causing delay in the normal deployment of trains.
Low pressure areas
The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) is monitoring two low-pressure areas (LPAs) inside the Philippine area of responsibility that are bringing rains over many parts of the country.
The first LPA was monitored at 530 kms east of Catarman, Northern Samar while the second was monitored 235 km west of Dagupan City, Pangasinan.
Neither of the LPAs is likely to develop into a tropical depression in the next 24 hours, according to PAGASA.
Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon is still affecting Southern Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.
The LPAs and the southwest monsoon are forecast to bring scattered rainshowers over Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon and the Visayas over the next few days.
Rainy conditions in Metro Manila may continue until Wednesday, with temperatures ranging between 25 to 30 degrees Celsius.
Better weather conditions but with isolated rains are expected over Mindanao due to the monsoon and localized thunderstorms.
PAGASA warned of possible flash floods or landslides during moderate to at times heavy rains. — Emmanuel Tupas, Romina Cabrera