SAN PEDRO, Laguna ? Rains spawned by typhoon ?Pepeng? caused floodwaters around the already swollen Laguna Lake to rise by a few centimeters yesterday, forcing thousands of families to flee to higher grounds.
Parts of Calamba City and the towns of San Pedro, Biñan, Sta. Rosa, Cabuyao, Los Baños, Bay, Victoria, Pila, Sta. Cruz, Lumban, Kalayaan, Paete, Siniloan, Mabitac, Sta. Maria, Pangil and Pakil remained flooded.
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. has raised the possibility of the need to rescue more residents living along the lake as its water continued to rise to a critical level.
?The Laguna Lake drains slowly. It is a particular concern,? said Teodoro, who informed President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo that he would personally check on the lake if weather permitted yesterday.
The Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) continues to monitor the water level of the Laguna Lake.
Edgardo Manda, LLDA general manager, said in a phone interview Saturday afternoon that rains that befell Luzon since Friday evening only increased the water level by more or less four centimeters.
?It [water level] plays between 13.9 to 14 meters,? he said as of Saturday morning. The lake?s water level hit an all-time record of 14.62 meters in 1919.
The average water level from July to September ranged between 11.8 to 12.6 meters. Its water level was at 13.82 meters three days after rains brought by tropical storm ?Ondoy? (international codename: Ketsana) submerged Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
Manda said the originally 90,000-hectare lake crept into the lakeshores by 10,000 hectares as of their latest monitoring.
?But we are continuously monitoring [the water level] until [Saturday] tonight,? he added.
Valentin Guidote, deputized coordinator of the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council, said 70,000 individuals were staying in 144 evacuation centers in Laguna since typhoon Ondoy struck last Saturday.
The municipal government of San Pedro was set to open two more evacuation centers to decongest the Central Elementary School, which houses 2,500 families after a preemptive evacuation of lakeshore communities was ordered, amid reports on the rising water level of the Laguna Lake because of typhoon Pepeng.
Gregoria Ranilo of the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office, said 500 families were added to the list of evacuees, following the local government?s order for a preemptive evacuation Friday.
?There are still more coming in today [Saturday],? she said.
One classroom houses about 17 families at the minimum. There are only 45 classrooms at Central Elementary school.
The two new evacuation sites will be at the San Pedro town center building, a commercial center, and the Sioland supermarket.
She said the transfer was scheduled Sunday as rains intermittently poured here until Saturday afternoon.
In Muntinlupa City, some 2,000 families from eight flood-stricken villages temporarily left their homes due to rising lake waters.
Mayor Aldrin San Pedro said village officials allowed most of the evacuated residents to return home as early as 5 a.m. yesterday.
?We let some of the evacuees to go home to prevent our relocation areas from being overcrowded,? San Pedro said.
Jorge Esporlas, chief of the Emergency Response Services in nearby Barangay (village) Putatan, said the water spilled by the swollen lake rose by as much as 12 inches in some portions of the lakeside community yesterday.
?The floods here continue to rise in the afternoon because of the high tide,? Esporlas said.
Located just 100 meters from Laguna Lake, Putatan was the hardest hit village in Muntinlupa.
Since last week, the one-kilometer portion of San Guillermo Street, the village?s main road, was still under five-foot deep floodwaters, making it impassable to all kinds of vehicles.
The floods also swamped grocery shops, beauty salons, and other businesses near Laguna Lake, considered as the third largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia.
San Pedro said it may take until January before floodwaters in all areas of the city to subside. With a report from Jocelyn R. Uy
