LIVE UPDATES: Habagat rains affect parts of PH on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026

Bataan Governor Jose Enrique Garcia III said the provincial council has recommended placing the province under a state of calamity due to flooding amid the effects of Southwest Monsoon or Habagat.

Interviewed on GMA News’ Unang Balita, Garcia said flooding was reported in Hermosa, Dinalupihan, and Mariveles.

“Kahapon sa aming PDRRM emergency council meeting, nag-rekomenda na rin po kami ng state of calamity. Kaya alam ko ngayong araw ‘yan pag-uusapan ng Sangguniang Panlalawigan,” Garcia said.

(Yesterday, during our PDRRM emergency council meeting, we recommended declaring a state of calamity. So, I know the Sangguniang Panlalawigan will be discussing that today.)

More than 4,000 residents were brought to evacuation centers, while another 4,000 took temporary shelter to the houses of their relatives, according to the governor.

Garcia said the heavy rains have also affected residents’ livelihoods as many have been unable to report for work.

Tropical Depression Neneng picked up speed as it moved over the coastal waters of eastern Taiwan, according to PAGASA.

In its 5 a.m. cyclone bulletin, the weather bureau said that as Neneng lingers in the country, the Southwest Monsoon of Habagat will continue to bring heavy rains and strong to gale-force winds over parts of the country.

For Thursday, these conditions are expected over most of Luzon and the Visayas, as well as the Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao and the Davao Region.

On Friday, Aug. 21, strong to gale-force gusts are forecast over most of Luzon, Panay Island, Negros Occidental, Northern Samar and Davao Oriental.

The Southwest Monsoon or Habagat will continue to drench Metro Manila and several provinces in Luzon on Thursday, state weather bureau PAGASA said.

In its 4 a.m. weather bulletin, it said the Southwest Monsoon will bring occasional rains over the Ilocos Region, Batanes, Zambales, and Bataan.

Cloudy skies with scatterred and thunderstorms due to Habagat will be experienced in Metro Manila, Cordillera Administrative Region, the rest of Cagayan Valley, the rest of Central Luzon, Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, Rizal, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, and Palawan.

The rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms as a result of localized thunderstorms.

The three tropical cyclones being monitored have enhanced the Southwest Monsoon or Habagat, which caused continuous rains over Metro Manila and other parts of the country.

In James Agustin's report on "24 Oras" on Wednesday, visibility was nearly zero along Araneta Avenue in Quezon City on Thursday evening due to the heavy downpour.

Water levels rose rapidly on N.S. Amoranto Street near the corner of Araneta Avenue.

Personnel from the Department of Public Works and Highways cleared the garbage clogging the drainage system. But minutes later, the road became impassable to light vehicles.

Some trucks tried their luck in the flooded road and managed to cross.

A portion of Araneta Avenue was also flooded. Light vehicles were initially able to pass through until water levels rose, leaving only trucks able to cross and forcing several motorists to turn back.

Along Sto. Domingo Avenue near the corner of Calamba Street, floodwaters rendered the road completely impassable to all motorists around 1 a.m.

"I did not know that this was the situation here...I will just look for an alternative route," said motorist Julian Manahan.