Non-stop rains, floods hit Metro

Heavy rains that started Monday night and continued all day yesterday again left portions of Metro Manila submerged in floodwater.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) deputy chairman and head of the flood control program, Cesar Lacuna, said the worst hit yesterday was the perennially flooded Dimasalang area in Manila.

Floods reached knee-deep in Maceda and Sampaloc, Lacuna said.

"Mas mababaw kaysa dati because of our constant dredging in the area but I wouldn’t really call it an accomplishment because it’s still flooding," Lacuna said.

Lacuna said the best solution to the Dimasalang flooding was for the some 200 illegal settlers in the Cabulusan Creek to be relocated so that it could be cleared and dredged properly.

"It’s actually the job of the local government unit. We’re all hoping the National Housing Authority will be able to find a relocation site for them soon," Lacuna said.

Other areas that were reported to have experienced flooding were Buendia, España, Ramon Magsaysay and EDSA.

In northern Metro Manila, the area near the Bonifacio Monument Circle in Caloocan City going to EDSA to the east and Samson Road going to Malabon-Navotas also experienced heavy floodings yesterday.

Off the same rotunda going south to Manila, thousands of commuters, shoppers and office workers were jammed on the streets with vendors along Rizal Avenue Extension on both sides up to some two blocks onward as floodwaters rose due to the heavy rains.

Enterprising men and boys surviving off the city streets quickly took advantage of the heavy downpour setting up makeshift wooden bridges and charging "toll fees" in loose change as people crossed the flooded streets to dry ground.

Floodwaters also rose quickly along Dagat-Dagatan Avenue and C-3 Avenue in Caloocan and in Barangays Panghulo, Catmon, Tonsuya and Tañong in Malabon.

Tanza, the length of Gov. Pascual Avenue and Barangay San Roque are gutter-deep in Navotas.

Navotas Public Information Officer Jerry Doringo told The STAR there was no disruption of regular classes in all levels.

"There were no high tide problems to add to the heavy rains. But our task force on disaster is on standby just in case the situation worsens," Doringo said.