Red Cross rescues 6 amid flooding in Rizal's low-lying areas

Some low-lying areas in Rizal Province were not spared as the heavy rains brought by the Southwest Monsoon or Habagat caused flooding.

According to Emil Sumangil's report in "24 Oras" on Monday, personnel from the Philippine Red Cross waded through waist-deep floodwaters, along with the strong winds and rain, to rescue six people in a household in Rodriguez, Rizal early morning.

The rescued individuals were brought to the evacuation center by a rescue boat.

In Barangay Burgos, also in Rodriguez, the floodwater was chest-deep after a nearby river overflowed.

"Last night, around 11 p.m., the water was already going down. This morning, around 5 or 6, it started rising again because the rain poured heavily again early this morning," said Barangay Kagawad JR Simbulan.

The barangay cleared the tree trunks and waste to help the floodwater to recede.

In San Mateo, residents were stranded after several roads became impassable due to flooding. The floodwater at Barangay Malanday was knee-deep at noon.

Although the weather slightly improved, the flood was still an inconvenience for many. For instance, the flood caused traffic along Felix Avenue.

But things were worse near Marcos Highway in Antipolo City as a subdivision became impassable for vehicles. A resident had to use a jetski to traverse within their community.

Not everyone are fortunate to have such a water vehicle. Many residents had no choice but to wade through the floodwaters to do their errands. They argued that paying for a boat o pedicab ride would be unreasonable.

"It's not that cheap. They were asking for P100 for a ride. If I don't have any wounds, I will just wade through the waters," one man said.

Delivery riders were also affected by the flooding.

"My booking was suddenly cancelled...I did not expect it to be that deep," said rider Arnold Oliveras, noting that it was his supposedly first booking for the day.

The municipality of Cainta has deployed rescue trucks to the subdivisions nearby Felix Avenue.

Despite owning a car, elderly couple Rudy and Marilyn Tanada decided to take a ride on the rescue truck just to push through with their doctor's appointment.

Meanwhile, 15-year-old Joshua Alejjo also took a hop on the rescue truck in order to buy necessities for their family.

"We no longer have basic goods and I have to check on our car," he shared.

When asked where are his parents, he said: "They are both in our house. I don't want them to take the risk of wading through floodwaters and possibly get leptospirosis." –Vince Angelo Ferreras/NB, GMA News