National

At least 4 dead, half a million affected by storm “Mario”

UPDATED as of Sept. 20, 2014 5:43 a.m. MANILA, Philippines (ENS) — More than half a million people were affected by tropical storm “Mario” as it dumped heavy rains in Metro Manila and other areas in Luzon, triggering flashfloods, causing dams to overflow and displacing thousands of affected residents across Luzon island on Friday. The storm also left at least four people dead, five injured and one missing,  according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction […]

Aquino witnesses signing of agreements for operations of LRT 1

President Benigno S. Aquino III on Thursday witnessed the signing of a technical service agreement between RATP Developpement and the Light Rail Manila Consortium for the operations and maintenance of Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1. The agreement, signed between RATP Developpement President Pierre Mongin, and Jose Ma. Lim, President and CEO of the Metro Pacific Investments Corp., at the Philippines-France Business Forum at Intercontinental Paris Le Grand Hotel, aims to provide operation and maintenance […]

Aquino invites French businessmen to invest in Phl

President Benigno S. Aquino III invited French businessmen to explore investment opportunities in the Philippines, saying that the “country’s momentum is stronger that it has ever been in recent memory.”Speaking before the Philippine Business Opportunities Forum here, President Aquino told France-based companies that this is the best time to invest as the Philippine economy continues to grow. “Indeed, our country’s momentum is stronger than it has ever been in recent memory, and we will not sit […]

Tropical Storm “Mario” weakens slightly, but strong rains to continue

MANILA, Philippines — Tropical Storm “Mario” has slightly weakened while traversing the Babuyan Channel, PAGASA said. As of 4 p.m., its location is at 70 kilometers northeast of Laoag City, with maximum winds of up to 75 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 90 kilometers per hour.  It is forecast to move west northwest at 19 kilometers per hour.  It is forecast to leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility by […]

More than 2,000 passengers stranded

More than 2, 000 passengers were stranded in the ports of five regions due to the rampage of tropical storm “Mario”. According to the Philippine Coast Guard, a total of 2, 480 passengers were stranded in the ports of NCR, Cebu, Southern Tagalog, Western Visayas and Bicol. A total of 15 vessels, 7 motor boats and 252 rolling cargoes were not allowed to travel.

NCR, Bulacan, Laguna, Rizal, Cavite, Batangas under red rainfall warning

MANILA, Philippines — PAGASA, the country’s weather bureau, placed more areas under the “red” rainfall warning signal as of 12 noon Friday.  In its latest advisory, Metro Manila and five more nearby provinces namely Bulacan, Laguna, Rizal, Cavite and Batangas. Expect severe flooding in these areas as they are forecast to experience more than 30 millimeters of torrential rains per hour in the next two hours.  This is equivalent to eight gallons of rainwater being […]