MANILA — At least 15 people have died after days of heavy rain, flooding and landslides linked to the enhanced southwest monsoon and tropical cyclones Luis and Maymay, the Philippine National Police said on Monday, as authorities stepped up rescue and evacuation operations across the country.
PNP spokesman Col. Allen Rae Co said seven deaths were recorded in the Calabarzon region, south of Manila, from rockfalls or landslides, while two people died in the Ilocos Region from electrocution and drowning. Six others were killed in a landslide in Baguio City, where three houses were buried.
In the Baguio incident, nine people had been retrieved from the rubble, including six confirmed dead and three survivors. Four people remained missing as of Monday afternoon, according to police. The survivors were taken to hospital for medical observation.
The PNP deployed 800 personnel in affected areas and placed about 10,000 others on standby for search, rescue and retrieval operations. The Philippine Coast Guard said it had helped evacuate nearly 7,800 people as the monsoon continued to affect communities nationwide.
The combined weather systems had affected about 1.31 million people, with 58,650 staying in 624 evacuation centers and another 39,290 receiving assistance outside the centers, according to figures cited by the Philippine Star. Pampanga province and Dagupan City were among the hardest-hit areas, with more than 460,000 and 90,000 people affected respectively.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. directed government agencies to reach affected residents, including those who had returned home, Palace press officer Claire Castro said. The health department was also ordered to prepare for possible increases in flood-related diseases, including dengue and leptospirosis.
Rainfall totals underscored the severity of the conditions. Baguio recorded 1,413 millimeters of rain from Aug. 1 to 9, according to state weather agency PAGASA, substantially exceeding its normal August rainfall. Iba in Zambales recorded 957 mm over the same period.
PAGASA said heavy rain was expected to continue through Tuesday, particularly over Zambales, Bataan and Occidental Mindoro, although rainfall intensity was forecast to ease to about 50 to 100 mm.
