No casualties reported so far from monsoon rains

Office of Civil Defense-National Capital Region (OCD-NCR Director Romeo Cabantac said Tuesday there were no received reports of casualties as a result of the heavy monsoon rains.

Cabantac said that except for a number of flooded streets in some areas in Metro Manila, particularly in Quezon City and Manila, the situation in the metropolis was normal.

"Wala pa, so far wala," Cabantac said, referring to casualties.

He described the flooding as “still manageable. What we are monitoring is the situation in Marikina River as the water level has already reached 16 meters, or second alarm."

As the river rose, voluntary evacuation for those living in the low-lying areas of Marikina was carried out.

At around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, storm Henry made landfall in Dalupiri Island, Cagayan, and was heading towards the West Philippine Sea.

Occasional rains with gutsy winds are expected over the areas under Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal 1.

The southwest monsoon or habagat will bring rains to Metro Manila, Zambales, Bataan, Cavite, Batangas, Mindoro Provinces, Palawan, and Western Visayas, and scattered showers and thunderstorms to the rest of the country.

People living in low-lying and mountainous areas have been advised to continue monitoring for updates, coordinate with their local disaster risk reduction and management offices, and take appropriate actions against possible flooding and landslides.

Fishermen with small boats were advised not to venture out to sea in areas under Signal 1.