Habagat: Bucket used to safely rescue child in Cavite; sinkhole appears in Tarlac

The heavy rains brought by the Southwest Monsoon (Habagat) triggered flooding in parts of Luzon on Saturday.

In a “24 Oras Weekend” report by Katrina Son, a child had to be rescued from neck-deep floodwaters in Bacoor, Cavite, with rescuers using a bucket to help keep him afloat.

The child was among several residents who had to evacuate after floodwaters rapidly rose along First Street in Sto. Niño, Purok III, Barangay Niog.

“Lagpas-tao na po talaga ‘yung tubig-baha kaya po aming kinuha po ‘yung baby doon sa pinakamalalim na area po. Nilagay na po muna namin sa timba kasi biglaan ‘yung tawag eh,” Barangay Niog Councilor Dindo Leynes said.

(The floodwater was already deeper than a person's height, which is why we retrieved the baby from the deepest area. We placed the child in a bucket for the time being because the distress call was sudden.)

“Hindi na namin nadala ‘yung bangka doon kaya ‘yun na lang muna. Priority po namin makuha agad ‘yung bata kasi mabilis po ‘yung pagtaas ng baha,” he added.

(We couldn't bring the boat there anymore, so we used a bucket for the moment. Our priority was to rescue the child immediately because the floodwaters were rising so fast.)

Local authorities in Barangay Niog continued to monitor Niog Road, where floodwaters reached knee-deep, making it difficult for light vehicles to pass.

In some parts of the barangay, floodwaters ranged from knee-deep to waist-deep, prompting several residents to evacuate while they still could. Some evacuees said they learned the hard way that delaying evacuation could be dangerous.

At an evacuation site, residents shared that floodwaters rose so quickly that some had to swim to safety.

“Lagpas tao na po sa’min, nilangoy na lang po namin para malabas ‘yung apo ko… Tapos kami, lumangoy na lang kami palabas,” a resident said.

(The water was over our heads in our area, so we had to swim just to get my grandchild out. After that, we just swam our way out.)

“Kasi pumasok na sa loob eh, sa bahay namin kaya—kanina hindi pa, ako kasi sabi ko wala pa naman eh. Eh biglang umano na,” another resident said.

(The water had already entered our home. Earlier, there wasn't any, so I thought we were still fine. But then it suddenly rose.)

Other parts of Luzon

In Biñan, Laguna, some residents were forced to use boats to navigate the town as murky, dark gray floodwaters submerged parts of the community.

In a viral video showing residents navigating flooded streets by boat, Jessy Santana said floodwaters in their area reached knee-deep on Saturday.

Meanwhile, amid the heavy rainfall, residents reported that a sinkhole in Barangay Cutcut 1st, Tarlac City grew larger and deeper at around 10 a.m.

The sinkhole was reportedly filled with soil at around noon on Saturday.

According to YouScooper Louise, residents first spotted the sinkhole on August 19 at around 8 p.m.

In Pampanga, another house was captured collapsing into a river amid continuous heavy downpours and strong river currents.

The house, located in Barangay Sto. Cristo in Lubao, Pampanga, reportedly collapsed at around 6:25 p.m. due to the strong river flow. —Lyjah Tiffany Bonzo/VBL, GMA News