Typhoon Carina: Metro Manila under state of calamity

Rescuers paddle their boats along a flooded street in Manila on July 24, 2024 amid heavy rains brought by Typhoon Gaemi. Relentless rain drenched the northern Philippines on July 24, triggering flooding in Manila and landslides in mountainous regions as Typhoon Gaemi intensified the seasonal monsoon. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP)

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A resolution declaring the capital region under a state of calamity has been approved by the Metro Manila Council (MMC).

This is due to the onslaught of Typhoon Carina and the southwest monsoon.

Putting the capital region under a state of calamity would enable the release of calamity funds for 16 cities and one municipality in Metro Manila and allows the implementation of price control in the region.

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The MMC approved the resolution during a meeting at the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) headquarters in Pasig City on Wednesday afternoon.

Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. and MMC chairman and San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora presided over the council meeting.

“There is a motion to declare Metro Manila under the state of calamity by Mayor Francis Zamora and [MMDA] Chairman Don [Artes],” Abalos said.

“The motion is now approved. Metro Manila is now under the state of calamity,” he added.

In a separate meeting on Wednesday morning, Abalos recommended the declaration of a state of calamity in Metro Manila to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

“Because of what is happening, Mr. President, especially in Metro Manila, our recommendation here is that maybe we can declare a state of calamity in Metro Manila,” Abalos told Marcos, speaking partly in Filipino, during the briefer on the country’s current status amid the effects of the typhoon and the southwest monsoon.

Under Republic Act No. 10121, or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010, a state of calamity is declared during “a condition involving mass casualty and/or major damage to property, disruption of means of livelihood, roads, and normal way of life of people in the affected areas, as a result of the occurrence of natural or human-induced hazard.”

Many parts of Metro Manila have been flooded since Tuesday due to the heavy rains brought by Carina and the southwest monsoon.

Several roads were also left impassable.

READ: LIST: Impassable roads outside of Metro Manila

As of 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, Carina was last spotted 345 kilometers north-northeast of Itbayat, Batanes, packing maximum sustained winds of 165 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gusts of up to 205 kph, the state weather bureau said.

READ: LIVE UPDATES: Typhoon Carina

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The Inquirer is extending its relief and fund drive to help families affected by Typhoon Carina. Donate to Inquirer Foundation Corp. at BDO Current Account No: 007960018860. For inquiries, email [email protected].