Typhoon Dolphin enhances monsoon rains, triggering floods in PH

An enhanced monsoon intensified by Typhoon Dolphin flooded several neighbourhoods in Manila and other parts of the western Philippines on Sunday (August 9).

In Quezon City, part of Metro Manila, torrential rains triggered waist-deep flooding in low-lying communities and areas near creeks. More than 1,000 residents living near tributaries and in flood-prone areas were evacuated amid fears that floodwaters would continue to rise, according to local authorities.

Jebelyn Rebosada, 29, evacuated with her three children on Saturday (August 8), fearing they could become trapped in their home near a river.

Some residents voiced frustration over flood control projects, which have become a political issue for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s administration amid investigations into alleged irregularities in government-funded flood mitigation programmes.

The national disaster agency said about 110,000 families have been affected by the enhanced monsoon rains, which have persisted since August 3 due to their interaction with successive storms.

Around 7,300 people were staying in evacuation centres nationwide, while at least six people have been reported dead, most of them in landslides and flooding over the past week.

Camera: Lorenzo Lesaba, Noel Celis;Editing, Production &Writing: Peter Blaza/Reuters