Local government executives belonging to  the National Unity Party (NUP) continue to spearhead relief and rescue operations in their respective areas at the height,  and in the aftermath, of the heavy monsoon rains activated by tropical storm “Maring” since Sunday.

In Antipolo, the staff of Deputy Speaker Roberto Puno promptly distributed relief goods to affected families of the storm-enhanced monsoon rains in the city’s first district.

The southwest monsoon or Habagat, enhanced by tropical storm "Maring," has pounded Luzon with torrential rains since Sunday Aug. 18, triggering massive floods in several areas. 

In Bulacan,  Governor Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado immediately dispatched emergency rescue teams equipped with rubber boats and backed by paramedic units in the province’s flooded barangays. 

Sy-Alvarado also personally supervised the monitoring of the three big dams in Bulacan—Angat, Ipo and Bustos, as well as  the water levels in province’s  major rivers.

Benguet Governor Nestor Fongwan suspended all mining operations at the height of the heavy rains and coordinated with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to ensure  the continuous, 24-hour  clearing of roads leading to Baguio City and the capital town of La Trinidad.

Most of the clearing operations were on roads which are vital to the commerce and industry of the province, including Kennon Road, Halsema Highway and the Benguet-Nueva Vizcaya Road.

Fongwan also made certain that Benguet farmers making use of their greenhouses continue to produce the average of more than 2,000 tons of fresh vegetables and fruits shipped to various commercial centers,  including Metro Manila.

In Bataan, Governor Albert Garcia declared a  state of calamity in the entire province Tuesday morning, Aug. 20, as heavy rains from the southwest monsoon aggravated by “Maring” continue to pummel Luzon. 

He had earlier dispatched relief and rescue units to calamity-hit areas in the province, particularly in the hardest hit towns of Hermosa and Dinalupihan, as well as in Orani, Salam, Abucay and Balanga.

As of Tuesday, Garcia said rescue operations were still ongoing in barangays where floodwaters have risen to over six feet.