LIVE UPDATES: Habagat rains affect parts of PH on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026

One of two tropical depressions being monitored outside of the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) has developed into a tropical storm, state weather bureau PAGASA said Wednesday afternoon.

As of 2 p.m. Wednesday, Tropical Storm Saudel was monitored 3,005 kms east of northeastern Mindanao. It packed maximum sustained winds of 75 kph, and gusts of up to 90 kph.

PAGASA said the weather disturbance was almost stationary.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Wednesday reiterated its guidelines on work during inclement weather, saying that employees face no liability if they refuse to work during dangerous circumstances—but they are also not entitled to be paid their salary.

“Employees who fail or refuse to work by reason of imminent danger resulting from weather disturbances and similar occurrences shall not be subject to any administrative sanction,” DOLE said.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to coordinate with the Quezon City government regarding the city’s flood control master plan after several areas experienced flooding amid continued rains.

“Ipinagutos din ng pangulo sa DPWH na makipagugnayan sa lokal na pamahalaan ng QC upang maiayon ang flood control master plan ng lungsod upang lalo pang bumilis ang paghupa ng baha sa lugar,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said.

(The President also ordered the DPWH to coordinate with the Quezon City local government to align the city’s flood control master plan to further speed up the receding of floodwaters in the area.)

The Marikina River is under first alarm on Wednesday after water reached 15.00 meters at 1:30 p.m., according to the Marikina Public Information Office.

The first alarm means residents should prepare for possible evacuation.

Preemptive evacuation will be implemented when the water level reaches 16 meters, triggering the second alarm. When the water level reaches 18 meters, the third alarm will be raised, signaling mandatory evacuation.

The La Mesa Dam has hit 80.02 meters as of 11:00 am, prompting authorities to raise Alert Level 3 on Wednesday, according to the Quezon City Government.

The following Quezon City areas may be affected by the excess water from the La Mesa Dam: Fairview, Forest Hills Subdivision,Quirino Highway, San Bartolome.

In a separate 11:30 AM advisory from PAGASA, the La Mesa Dam is still at 80.0 meters which is "below overflow” level.

PAGASA warned that residents near the North Expressway and La Huerta Subdivision in Navotas, as well as Malabon could be affected.

Tropical Depression Neneng slightly intensified as it continued to move over the waters off Batanes, state weather bureau PAGASA said in its 5 a.m. Wednesday bulletin.

As of 4 a.m., Neneng was located 675 kilometers east of Itbayat, Batanes, packing maximum sustained winds of 55 km/h near the center and gustiness of up to 70 km/h.

It was moving northwestward at 15 km/h.

PAGASA said Neneng is expected to make landfall along the eastern coast of Taiwan between Thursday afternoon and Friday morning.

Close to 3,000 barangays nationwide are warned of possible rain-induced landslides and flooding amid the ongoing inclement weather in the country, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources' Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) said.

As of 8 p.m. of Tuesday, August 18, most of the 2,930 landslide- and flood-prone barangays are located in Luzon.

• Central Luzon — 1,019
• Ilocos Region — 757
• NCR — 384
• Cagayan Valley — 300
• Cordillera Administrative Region — 268
• CALABARZON — 102
• MIMAROPA — 100 

"Based on the latest DOST-PAGASA 72-hour rainfall forecast, residents in listed areas and those nearby or downstream are urged to remain vigilant and take necessary precautions," the MGB said in an advisory issued on Wednesday. 

Several domestic and international flights were canceled, diverted, or forced to make a go-around on Wednesday due to bad weather conditions, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said.

As of 9:30 a.m., the CAAP said the affected flights are the following:

Canceled

Cebu Pacific

• 5J 472 — Bacolod to Manila, with 203 passengers
• 5J 192 — Manila to Cauayan, with 137 passengers
• 5J 193 — Cauayan to Manila, with 155 passengers
• 5J 508 — Manila to Tuguegarao, with 124 passengers
• 5J 509 — Tuguegarao to Manila, with 152 passengers

Missed approach

Central Airlines

• HLF9849 — Zhuhai, China to Clark (diverted to Mactan)

Go-around

Jeju Air

• JJA2107 — Seoul to Angeles

Philippine Airlines

• PAL111 — Guam to Manila

Cebu Pacific

• 5J 384 — Cagayan de Oro to Manila

Air Philippines

• GAP2520 — Cagayan de Oro to Manila

—VAL, GMA News

Infrastructure damage from the combined effects of Tropical Cyclones Luis and Maymay and the Southwest Monsoon or Habagat has reached more than ?3.5 billion, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said Wednesday.

As of 6 a.m., the OCD reported ?3,501,383,771 in infrastructure damage, while agricultural damage was estimated at ?1,423,918,790.

The weather disturbances also damaged 1,993 houses — 1,787 partially and 206 totally.

A total of 1,539,614 families or 5,394,342 individuals were affected by the bad weather in the following regions:
• Ilocos Region
• Cagayan Valley
• Central Luzon
• Bicol
• Western Visayas
• Zamboanga Peninsula
• CALABARZON
• Cordillera Administrative Region
• Metro Manila
• MIMAROPA

In 461 evacuation centers, a total of 12,194 families or 42,203 individuals were recorded.

The OCD recorded 27 deaths, 17 injuries, and one person still missing.

Benguet recorded the highest number of fatalities at 15, mostly due to landslides in La Trinidad, Baguio and Atok.

Rizal reported three deaths, while Batangas also recorded three. La Union, Quezon, Oriental Mindoro and Negros Occidental each reported one fatality. Caloocan recorded two deaths.

According to the OCD, the government has so far provided ?796,983,073 worth of assistance to affected communities. —Joviland Rita/KG, GMA News