Palace also suspends work in private firms in flood-affected areas

A man looks at the deep floodwaters outside his house in suburban Quezon City, north of Manila, Philippines on Tuesday Aug. 7, 2012. Torrential rains pounding the Philippine capital on Tuesday paralyzed traffic as waist-deep floods triggered evacuations of tens of thousands of residents and the government suspended work in offices and schools.AP/Aaron Favila

MANILA, Philppines — Malacanang on Tuesday suspended work in private companies in Metro Manila and in provinces affected by heavy rains due to the prevailing southwest monsoon.

The affected provinces are: Zambales, Bataan, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Laguna, Cavite, Rizal and Bulacan.

The announcement, posted on the Department of National Defense official facebook account, was signed by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr..

The Palace also suspended work in all government offices and classes in all levels due to inclement weather.