Government-run dzRB radio reported floods were waist-deep in San Isidro village in Antipolo City, while floods also threatened residents in Marikina City.Heavy rains brought by tropical storm 'Ondoy' flooded parts of Metro Manila and caused some domestic flights to get canceled Saturday morning.Meanwhile, at least four domestic flights were canceled since 6 a.m., including flights of Zest Air to and from Manila to San Jose in Mindoro; and to and from Manila and Caticlan in Aklan.Earlier, at least 1,700 passengers remained stranded in Bicol while seacraft operators were forced to cancel trips in Caticlan in Aklan province due to the storm.
Philippine Coast Guard commandant Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo also reminded owners of seacraft of a guideline barring travel for seacraft weighing 1,000 tons or less."Mga 1,000 to 2,000 ang stranded passengers. Sa Bicol, mga 1,700 plus ang stranded passengers (Reports reaching us indicate 1,000 to 2,000 passengers have been stranded. In Bicol alone, 1,700 plus passengers have been stranded)," Tamayo said in an interview on dzRH radio Saturday.He said that in Caticlan in Western Visayas, boats could not dock or leave port because of strong winds and big waves.Many operators there have canceled their trips to ensure safety of passengers, he said.Under Storm Signal No. 2 as of 5 a.m. were La Union, Pangasinan, Benguet, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales, Bulacan, Northern Quezon, Polillo Islands, Camarines Norte, and Rizal.Under Storm Signal No. 1 are Isabela, Mt. Province, Ifugao, Ilocos Sur, Bataan, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Marinduque, Mindoro provinces, Lubang Islands, Southern Quezon, Camarines Sur, Albay, Burias Islands, and Metro Manila.
The dzRB report also said roads in Makati and Pasay Cities and Taft Avenue were flooded.MMDA General Manager Roberto advised village heads to keep alert and evacuate residents near riverbanks if the water level rises.
He noted residents had refused to heed calls of MMDA teams to evacuate, only to ask for help once floods force them to clamber to the roofs of their houses.But Nacianceno also blamed local residents in some areas for continuing to dump their garbage near gutters, clogging them and worsening floods.In the meantime, Nacianceno said flood control engineers had been sent to Talayan village in Quezon City, where the creek had overflowed.