6 areas in Metro Manila under state of calamity

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Six areas in the National Capital Region were placed under a state of calamity as the combined effects of the southwest monsoon and tropical storm Maring (International name: Trami) submerged barangays in floodwater. 

As of 3:52 pm on August 21, the following cities and municipalities have declared a state of calamity:

• Muntinlupa
• Pateros 
• Parañaque
• Malabon
• Pasay
• Marikina 

The Department of Health on Tuesday, 6pm, raised a Code White status across all hospitals and health centers in Metro Manila and well as other areas affected by Maring. The alert is a signal for healthcare facilities to ensure that there will be a sufficient supply of medicines and an adequate number personnel who will attend to patients. 

READ: The day Metro turned black 

Placing a province or a city under a state of calamity allows the local government to gain access to calamity funds, impose automatic price control on basic goods, grant interest-free loans, as well as provide additional allowances for public employees and disaster agencies operating in the area. 

Affected families

In Muntinlupa, at least 7,500 families in 8 barangays were affected by flooding as of 5 pm, Muntinlupa Mayor Jaime Fresnedi said. 

Fresnedi told radio DZMM the city council decided to declare a state of calamity to authorize the local government to gain access to calamity funds. 

Meanwhile, Pateros was placed under a state of calamity Tuesday noon. As of 4:15 pm, at least 726 families or 2,925 individuals in 8 barangays were brought to evacuation centers, according to the Pateros Social Welfare and Development agency. 

Local authorities are closely watching the Manggahan floodway, as well as the water level in Laguna lake, Pateros Mayor Jaime Medina said in an interview with DZMM. In Brgy Sta Ana, the flood reached as high as shoulder-level. 

In Parañaque, at least 3,000 families have been evacuated due to the onslaught of Maring, Parañaque Mayor Edwin Olivares told DZMM. 

Malabon Mayor Lenlen Oreta told DZMM that 1,600 families or 7,500 persons have been evacuated. All barangays in Malabon were affected by heavy rains and the city hall remains underwater. 

As of Tuesday 2 pm, 4,671 families or 45, 919 individuals were affected by the flood, according the Pasay Social Welfare Development (SWD) agency. Less than 24 hours later, 142 families remained in evacuation centers in the city. The local SWD said families began returning to their homes late Tuesday up to Wednesday. 

At least 50% of Pasay streets continued to be flooded as of 5 pm, with about 100 barangays affected, Pasay City Mayor Antonino Calixto said in an interview with DZMM. Nearly all of the city’s 200 barangays were affected by flooding. 

Calixto advised motorists to avoid Buendia and Taft Avenue while floodwaters have not receded. The Pasay SWD said several areas — Kalayaan, Malicaban, Malibay, and those near waterways — are still flooded as of Wednesday morning.

Marikina Mayor Del De Guzman and Vice Mayor Fabian Cadiz decided to declare their city under a state of calamity after a disaster council meeting on Wednesday. Areas of the city near the Marikina River remain under alert level 2 as its water level hovers between 16 and 17 meters. The water level was at its highest on Tuesday when it reached 19 meters at 5:34 p.m.

As of Wednesday 4 p.m., 5,958 families or 29,334 persons are now in 14 evacuation centers in Marikina. 

– With reports from Angela Casauay and Pia Ranada/Rappler.com