Hanoi (VNA) – The Philippine government on August 17 suspended in-person classes in Metro Manila and 12 other provinces as heavy rains brought by tropical cyclones and the southwest monsoon continued to trigger severe flooding and landslides across the country, local media reported on August 17.
Accordingly, schools and government agencies in affected areas were directed to adopt alternative work arrangements, except for frontline services such as health, disaster response and other essential functions.
At least 50 cities and towns have declared a state of calamity, with Pampanga and Cavite placing all their municipalities under the status, according to the Office of Civil Defence (OCD) of the country.
The extreme rainfall has triggered severe flooding and landslides across the Philippines. The well-known flood-control corruption scandal has left key infrastructure unfinished or poorly maintained, further straining the Southeast Asian country's disaster response.
OCD statistics showed that about 5.08 million people in 10 regions across the Philippines have been affected by extreme rainfall brought by tropical cyclones and monsoon rains.
Around 1.45 million households have been affected while 24,893 people have sought shelter at 523 evacuation centres. The government has so far provided 734.1 million PHP (about 11.93 million USD) in assistance for affected residents, the OCD said.
The extreme weather has left 23 people dead, 17 injured and one missing. As of August 17, the disasters had also damaged 1,863 houses, including 182 that were completely destroyed, the office reported./.
