From Cagayan to Bicol, Mario's rains ravage Luzon

Various areas in Luzon were battered after Tropical Storm Mario made landfall in Northern Cagayan around 11 a.m. on Friday.

According to a report on GMA's "Balitanghali" program on Saturday, Mario wasn't initially felt in places like Isabela but started pouring heavy rain after a few hours.

In Bataan province, water levels started to quickly rise while power was cut in the municipality of Mariveles.

Similarly, the province of Bulacan experienced floods in some municipalities due to overflowing of rivers.



The subsequent release of water from Ipo and Bustos dams on Friday night also contributed to the already high flood waters in the province.

Also due to this, several municipalities in Pampanga including Candaba, Masantol and San Simon were affected since the water from Bulacan flows to those areas.

Meanwhile, residents of Calamba City in Laguna were prompted to evacuated after the water level in Laguna de Bay rose by a meter.

In Camarines Norte, a bridge in the municipality of Sta. Elena was destroyed due to the strong rain and massive flooding.

There was also a boat en route to Sorsogon that sunk off Montreal in Masbate. The Philippine Coast Guard was able to rescue all 15 passengers.

Aside from this, hundreds were stranded at the port of Batangas after various trips to Southern Luzon and Visayas were canceled.

Tropical Storm Mario left at least five people dead and displaced more than 710,000 people as of Saturday noon, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said. — Drei Medina/JST, GMA News