Retaining wall falls in Olongapo City amid Habagat rains

A retaining wall collapsed in Olongapo around 11:00 a.m. on Monday as heavy rain persisted in the city. A house was dragged down during the collapse, but no casualties were reported as nobody was inside at the time.

According to Oscar Oida's report on "24 Oras," continuous rain saturated and softened the soil at the site, which is located near the boundary of Barangays New Cabalan and Old Cabalan.

Local authorities immediately inspected the perimeter and temporarily closed nearby roads due to the risk of further landslides.

The rainfall also triggered water levels to rise at various bridges in Olongapo.

Olongapo City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office advised residents in nearby communities to evacuate as water levels continued to rise at the Del Rosario, Sta. Rita, and Kalaklan bridges.

Benguet

In Barangay Puguis, La Trinidad, Benguet, video footage captured raging floodwaters surging down a road toward residents during heavy rains brought by the Southwest Monsoon (Habagat). According to the video uploader, severe flooding routinely plagues the barangay during heavy downpours.

A main road in Barangay Tawang was not spared from flooding despite its high elevation, with nearly half of it submerged underwater.

In Tublay, local police and barangay officials installed temporary handholds and a makeshift walkway along an alternative road submerged in rushing water to assist residents crossing.

The intense rainfall also triggered a debris flow along the Kibungan–Kapangan Road, sending mud and small rocks cascading down the highway.

In a “24 Oras” report by GMA Regional TV’s Sendee Salvacio, a landslide struck a mountain in Barangay Poblacion, Atok.

According to the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) Cordillera, the rainfall accumulated in Baguio City and Benguet from August 1 to 9 was equivalent to a month and a half's worth of average rain.

The provincial government continues to urge motorists to exercise extreme caution when traveling along passable alternate routes—including the Suyoc–Posos Road, Baguio–Bontoc Road, Nueva Vizcaya Road, and Kennon Road—due to frequent landslides and rockfalls caused by the persistent bad weather. –Lyjah Tiffany Bonzo/NB, GMA News