Bodies found in receding floodwaters

The bodies of a man and his young niece, who were swept away by floods, were recovered yesterday by the Muntinlupa City rescue team yesterday as water receded following several days of heavy rains in Metro Manila.

The bodies of 24-year-old Alexander Bihag and his one-year-old niece Angel Analupa were recovered at 5:30 a.m. yesterday under a bridge near their creekside shanty in Barangay Cupang.

The Muntinlupa rescue team, led by Michael Jocson, were still searching for Analupa’s elder sister Alison as of press time.

"The victims were carried by the strong water current of the swollen creek during the heavy rains last Thursday," Jocson said.

The Muntinlupa City Disaster Coordinating Council (MCDCC) said that the continuous rains caused waterways in Muntinlupa City to overflow at around 12:55 a.m.

"Flooded areas included Barangays Tunasan, Poblacion, Bayanan, Cupang, Sucat and Buli. Several riverside settlements, particularly in Cupang, were affected by the floods," the MCDCC said in a report.

Officials blamed garbage-clogged drainage canals for the quick rise and slow retreat of floodwaters in metropolitan Manila.

The Office of Civil Defense said flooding affected more than 25,900 people, including 2,242 who had to be evacuated from their communities in seven northern provinces and Metro Manila. Many have since returned home.

The OCD said 43 villages in the northern provinces of Pampanga and Nueva Ecija were still underwater yesterday. — With AP