Davao City offers free bus rides as heavy rains prevail over region

DAVAO CITY — The city government here offered free bus rides to shuttle passengers who would be stranded by heavy rains on Tuesday.

Fifteen buses were deployed to transport affected passengers from the City Hall of Davao to Toril, Calinan, Buhangin, and Bunawan starting 3 p.m. on Tuesday.

This came after the city called off work at City Hall starting 1 p.m. to reduce the volume of people going home in the afternoon.

The state weather bureau Pagasa said Chedeng, which had weakened to a low-pressure area, would still bring moderate to heavy rains that would cause flooding in some parts of the city and cause pedestrian and vehicle congestion.

According to Pagasa,  Chedeng  made landfall around 5:30 a.m. over Malita in Davao Occidental.

In Davao Oriental, around 920 families in the towns of San Isidro and Cateel and the City of Mati have fled their homes due to Chedeng, according to the province’s disaster unit.

At least 3,654 evacuees were staying in several barangay centers.

Several areas in the towns of Caraga, Manay, and Tarragona also experienced power outages since 4 a.m. Tuesday.