Monsoon floods Metro Manila; baby drowns

MANILA, Philippines — A one-year-old baby drowned in Las Piñas on Tuesday night as floodwaters swamped cities in southern Metro Manila due to the southwest monsoon.

The weather system caused roads to become unpassable. Vehicles were stuck on expressways and families were evacuated amid the heavy downpour.

The one-year-old child from Almanza Uno in Las Piñas drowned, according to city chief public information officer Paul San Miguel.

“The mother was being rescued in the flood when she accidentally dropped her baby,” San Miguel told The STAR.

The baby was found dead in Barangay Talon Tres after a few hours, San Miguel said.

Several barangays in District 2 were affected by flooding, San Miguel said.

Up to 251 families or 1,026 people were evacuated in Barangays Pamplona Tres, Talon Tres, Pulanglupa Dos and Pilar.

The city government has provided food packs, prophylaxis and other supplies to evacuees.

Las Piñas Rep. Mark Anthony Santos asked the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to evaluate the city’s drainage systems and recommend solutions.

“Floods threaten the safety, livelihood and mobility of our Las Piñeros,” Santos wrote in a letter addressed to DPWH district engineer Isabelo Baleros.

Traffic jams

Motorists traveling along the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) endured monstrous traffic jams on Tuesday night that extended until early yesterday morning.

The tail-end of the queue for vehicles exiting Alabang and Filinvest southbound tollgates in Muntinlupa reached 12 kilometers by midnight. The line for those exiting the Sucat southbound tollgate in Parañaque stretched 4.5 kilometers.

By 3 a.m., the traffic jams at the Alabang southbound area had become 6.8 kilometers long.

Commuter Sherilyn Santos told The STAR that she and her fellow passengers tried to walk from Kawasaki’s plant to the Alabang tollgate, but the floodwaters had risen higher than the wheels of the bus.

“Some passengers braved the floods either to go home or go to work at call centers in Alabang,” she said.

The situation returned to normal only at around 5 a.m. yesterday.

Roads unpassable

The heavy downpour rendered major roads in Parañaque unpassable. According to the city disaster risk reduction and management office, floodwaters submerged parts of Dr. A. Santos Avenue, preventing all types of vehicles from passing through.

Flooding in front of the Olivarez General Hospital and Parañaque National High School was also reported.

In Muntinlupa, floods affected Bayanan, West Service Road and Bruger street in Barangay Putatan.

Commuters also waded through floodwaters in Maysilo Circle in Mandaluyong and Caruncho Avenue in Pasig.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said the southwest monsoon would continue to bring rains nationwide until today.