Death toll from storm rises; thousands affected

Five persons have been confirmed dead while six were still missing after tropical depression Maring dumped heavy rains in parts of southern Luzon and Metro Manila.

Civil defense officials also said thousands of individuals have been affected by the flooding.

Romina Marasigan, spokesperson of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), identified the fatalities as brothers Jude and Justine Pundal who were buried under a landslide in Taytay, Rizal; 12-year-old Samantha Zamora, who drowned while swimming in a river in Pasay City; a two-month-old baby who was hit when a riprap collapsed in Lucena City, Quezon; and a mother who drowned while trying to rescue her children from a swollen river in Silang, Cavite.

Marasigan said the local government of Laguna was conducting rescue operations for six persons who remained missing.

They were among the 13 people who were reported missing due to a flashflood in Calamba at the height of the weather disturbance on Tuesday. Seven people have been rescued.

Up to 8,793 families were affected by the storm. Some 1,857 families or 7,549 persons sought refuge in 116 evacuation centers.

Marasigan said the affected persons were from 109 barangays in Metro Manila and Calabarzon.

Marasigan said three houses were destroyed in Silang, Cavite while nine were damaged.

She said 169 areas in Metro Manila and Central Luzon experienced massive flooding due to the continuous heavy rains brought by Maring.

Meanwhile, Marasigan said they were saddened by the negative feedback they got from the social media over the alerts they have been sending to mobile phone subscribers.

“Yung mga babala na ibinibigay natin bagama’t naiistorbo kayo sa inyong pamamahinga lalo sa gabi, nakakalungkot dahil ang babala na ito ay para sa inyong kaligtasan at mga mahal sa buhay (These alerts are for your and your loved ones’ safety. We’re sorry that these have disturbed some people),” she said.

She said the complainant may not have been affected by the floods.

AFP FOTO SUBMERGED. Residents wade a flooded street in Manila after tropical depression “Maring” hit the town of Mauban before moving northwest across Luzon and passing just beside Manila.