Manila City Hall workers knock off early Tuesday

FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—In anticipation of possible flooding due to the expected late afternoon rain showers, Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim ordered Tuesday the suspension not just of classes in the city, but also of work in the city hall.

The decision, he said, was made in order to keep the city employees from being stranded in case floods hit the streets again.

However, key personnel from departments and offices needed for disaster and calamities response were ordered to continue to work, Lim said.

These include the city engineer’s office under Engineer Moises Alcantara, the department of public services headed by Engineer Armand Andres, department of social welfare under Jay de la Fuente, and the Manila Traffic and parking Bureau (MTPB) headed by Nancy Villanueva which is expected to aid in maintaining traffic especially in bottleneck areas.

“The city’s six hospitals and 59 village health centers will also remain operational,” the mayor said.

Lim has also declared the suspension of classes in state-run colleges in the city.

An earlier report said tropical storm “Emong” is currently within the Philippine Area of Responsibility east of Luzon and is moving northward towards Japan.

It said the enhanced southwest monsoon is expected to bring moderate and heavy rains throughout the country.