Heavy rains and strong winds pound the capital and surrounding areas for most of Saturday
\nMANILA
\nPhilippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Saturday ordered urgent aid distribution in a southern province where landslides have been triggered by Tropical Storm Nalgae, which has killed 72 people across the country so far.
\nHeavy rains and strong winds pounded the capital, Manila, and surrounding areas for most of Saturday as Nalgae forced tens of thousands of people to leave their homes and disrupted peak holiday travel in much of the nation.
\nNalgae is the second deadliest cyclone to hit the Philippines this year, with the disasters agency reporting 45 deaths, mostly in hard-hit Maguindanao province. Another 33 people have been injured and 17 are registered missing.
\n\u201cWe could have done better in Maguindanao in terms of preparing. The 40 deaths, with 10 people missing there is a little too high,\u201d Marcos said in a briefing with disaster officials.
\nHe ordered the immediate distribution of drinking water and purifying systems to the province and other parts of the badly affected southern Philippines.
\nIn the country\u2019s capital region, which includes Manila and other cities, flooding prompted authorities to suspend classes and sports events.
\nAirlines have canceled 116 domestic and international flights to and from the Philippines\u2019 main gateway, which stopped operations from 0800 to 1400 GMT because of strong winds, the transport ministry said.
\nNearly 7,500 passengers and workers, and 107 vessels, were stranded in the country\u2019s ports, the coast guard said.
\nManila Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan on Saturday ordered the closure of the city\u2019s cemeteries, where millions had been expected to visit during the extended All Saints\u2019 Day weekend.
\nNalgae has maintained its strength, with maximum winds of 95 kilometers (60 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 115 kph (71 mph) as it cut through the main Luzon island and headed to the South China Sea, the state weather agency said.
\nAnother tropical depression gaining strength in the Pacific Ocean could enter Philippine territory on Tuesday, it added.
\nAlmost 170,000 people have been forced from their homes by the storm, nearly a third of whom were sheltering in evacuation centers, government data showed.
\nIn the central Leyte province, coast guard personnel led residents through chest-deep floodwaters, with rescuers using a plastic chair and an old refrigerator to float children and elderly people to safety, photos shared by the weather agency showed.
\nMarcos said the aid response should be stepped up once Nalgae exits land areas \u2014 on Sunday morning, according to the latest forecasts. \u201cLet us not wait for the helicopters and air assets to fly. If the weather is not good, look for more ways to deliver relief goods, water and medicines,\u201d he said.
\nThe Philippines sees an average of 20 tropical storms annually. In December, category 5 Typhoon Rai ravaged central provinces, leaving 407 dead and more than 1,100 injured.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Heavy rains and strong winds pound the capital and surrounding areas for most of Saturday MANILA Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Saturday ordered urgent aid distribution in a southern province where landslides have been triggered by Tropical Storm Nalgae, which has killed 72 people across the country so far. Heavy rains and strong winds […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":292440,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-292411","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n