'Maring' moves away from Luzon, leaves three dead
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 12) — Tropical depression "Maring" leaves two minors and an infant dead as it brought heavy rains to Luzon, before exiting the landmass Tuesday night.
In its latest bulletin at 5 p.m., weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the storm was in the vicinity of Bacolor, Pampanga, with sustained winds of up to 60 kilometers per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 100 kph.
A number of households were forced to evacuate as floodwaters rose in a number of regions. Many commuters were stranded, classes were cancelled and government work, including that in courts, was suspended in Metro Manila, Central Luzon and Calabarzon.
PAGASA earlier claimed the heavy rain early Tuesday was the "peak" of Maring’s rainfall capacity, but some cities and municipalities decided on suspending classes for September 13.
PAGASA issued a "red" heavy rainfall warning in Zambales, Pampanga, and Bataan at 5 p.m. This means serious flooding is expected in these areas.
An "orange" rainfall warning is up in the provinces of Tarlac, Nueva Ecija and Bataan. This means flooding may happen in these areas.
A "yellow" rainfall warning is up over the provinces of Metro Manila, Zambales, and Cavite. The alert warns residents of possible flooding in low areas.
The storm is moving west at 15 kph, and crossed Metro Manila Tuesday afternoon.
Storm signal 1 is up over the following areas in Luzon:
Bataan
Batangas
Bulacan
Cavite
Laguna
Metro Manila
Northern Quezon, including Polillo Island
Nueva Ecija
Pangasinan
Rizal
Southern Aurora
Tarlac
Zambales
Light damage to structure is expected in areas under storm signal 1.
Deadly incidents
A three-month-old baby was declared dead on arrival at a hospital in Lucena City, the provincial capital of Quezon.
The riprap of the Mt. Carmel Diocesan General Hospital collapsed due to heavy rain, and damaged the infant's home just behind the hospital. Two other houses were damaged and 11 other persons were injured.
In Taytay, Rizal province, two teenage brothers died after a landslide buried their house.
Jude Fundal, 17, and his brother Justin, 14, lived at the foot of a creek. They were rushed the Taytay emergency hospital but were declared dead on arrival.
Read more: Two brothers dead in Taytay landslide due to rains from "Maring"
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) also received reports of three landslide incidents in Calabarzon, as well as five reported missing persons in Calamba, Laguna.
PAGASA issued landslide and floods alerts for Bicol, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Metro Manila, Central Luzon, and Pangasinan. Calabarzon groups Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon provinces, while Mimaropa comprises Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan.
Forced to evacuate
A number of residents in Quezon, Laguna, Rizal, and Batangas left their homes at around noon on Tuesday to escape the flood, the NDRRMC said. Officials are still tallying the number of evacuees.
On Tuesday morning, some families in Barangay Tatalon, Quezon City, were forced to leave their homes after the San Juan River overflowed. Homes in nearby Barangay Roxas were also submerged.
Marikina City officials raised alerts for the possible overflow of the Marikina River.
The river reached 15 meters, prompting officials to raise alert level 1. This means residents along the riverbank should prepare for possible evacuation.
Pre-emptive evacuation will happen if the river rises to 16 meters, and forced evacuation when water level reaches 17 meters.
Flooded roads, stranded passengers
The NDRRMC said there was flooding in the cities of Malabon, Quezon, Parañaque, Pasig, and the provinces of Camarines Norte, Quezon, Laguna, Rizal, and Batangas.
The Metro Manila Development Authority suspended the number coding for vehicles. It also alerted motorists of flooded streets.
Meanwhile, officials suspended bus trips to Aurora and Quezon since 9 a.m.
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board issued the notice after 22 bus passengers were stranded since early Tuesday on a flooded highway in the coastal town of Pitogo, Quezon province. Members of the Army's 2nd Infantry Brigade rescued the passengers.
READ: Passengers of flood-submerged bus stranded in Quezon highway
On the South Luzon Expressway, bumper-to-bumper traffic forced bus passengers to get down and walk to a bridge some 500 meters away from the Southwoods exit in Laguna, to get to their destinations.
Train services between Manila and Calamba, Laguna were also suspend due to floods.
A number of flights at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport were cancelled as well.
LIST: Flight cancellations for Sept. 12
The NDRRMC said nearly 500 passengers were stranded in the ports of Bicol.
Classes, work canceled
Officials cancelled classes across Luzon on Tuesday.
Malacañang suspended work in government offices in Metro Manila, Central Luzon and Calabarzon. The Supreme Court suspended work in courts as well.
Budget deliberations at the House of Representatives, however, went on as lawmakers rushed discussions on next year’s national budget.
#WalangPasok: Class, work cancellations for Sept. 12
Two storms in PH territory
PAGASA said it is also monitoring typhoon Lannie (international name: Talim) off the northern tip of the country, and is on its way to Taiwan.
Weather forecasters said “Lannie” will not have an impact on the country. It was spotted 865 kilometers east of Basco, Batanes as of 10 a.m., moving west at 24 kph towards Taiwan. It has winds of up to 120 kph and gusts of 145 kph. It is expected to exit Philippine territory by Thursday.
They noted this is the first time in eight years that two weather disturbances were within Philippine territory. The last was in 2009 with typhoons Pepeng and Quedan.
This is a developing story, please refresh this page for updates.
