A heavy downpour lasting for almost two hours caused flooding in Metro Manila Wednesday, snarling traffic in several areas. Radio dzRH reported low-lying areas in the metropolis, including Manila, Pasay, and Quezon City, were flooded. Thousands of commuters were stranded as many of the flooded areas were main thoroughfares for buses and jeeps. In some flooded areas, car engines conked out due to floodwaters.As of 4 P.M., flood levels were still high at the Laong Laan, Dimasalang, and Espa?a Avenue in Sampaloc, Manila. The other flooded areas were C.M. Recto Avenue in Divisoria, Manila; Quezon Avenue in Quezon City; MIA Road in Para?aque City; and Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard in Pasay City. The report said the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) blamed the clogging of drainage canals on garbage. Weather forecasters said a new “low-pressure area” will bring rains in Luzon that would extend to Visayas and Mindanao, state weather forecasters said Wednesday afternoon. “The country will experience mostly cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms ... with widespread rains over Northern and Central Luzon which may trigger flashfloods and landslide,” a weather bulletin posted by the weather bureau said.
