Isang drenches Luzon; MM flooded anew

Classes were suspended anew, traffic was snarled and thousands stranded as many areas of Metro Manila were again submerged in floodwaters yesterday spawned by Tropical Depression Isang.

- CHRISTINE BOTON

Manila residents complained that the flooding in the city was unusually heavy, inundating the areas around city hall, which some officials described as "city hell." Isang slightly slowed down as it crossed Quirino province yesterday afternoon, bringing rains and strong winds over parts of Luzon, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said. As of 4 p.m., the center of Isang was located in the vicinity of Aglipay, Quirino, packing maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour near the center and gusts of up to 90 kph. It was moving west-northwest at 15 kph.

Signal No. 1 remained raised over Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Apayao, Kalinga, Abra, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Benguet, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Aurora and the northern part of Nueva Ecija.

Isang and the enhanced southwest monsoon will bring heavy rains over Zambales and Bataan, with 100 to 200 millimeters of rainfall expected until this afternoon.

Blame for MM floods

In an interview with "Storycon" on One News, Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan said some pumping stations in Manila "were not able to cope with floodwaters" as outlets were also submerged. He said the drainage system in Metro Manila is 70 percent silted.

He also noted that it was high tide when it rained Friday morning and that some drainage systems were blocked by trash even after recent clean-up operations.