MANILA, Philippines — Tropical Depression Neneng is moving away from the Philippines and could soon exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility, but for millions of Filipinos enduring another day of rain, the bigger threat is not the storm itself.
It is the southwest monsoon, or Habagat.
Persistent monsoon rains continued to soak Metro Manila and large parts of Luzon on Thursday, August 20, as authorities dealt with flooding, evacuations and a mounting human and economic toll from weeks of severe weather.
As of 10 a.m. Thursday, PAGASA placed Tropical Depression Neneng about 450 kilometers north of Itbayat, Batanes, moving generally northward near Taiwan. The weather bureau said the cyclone could leave PAR within 12 hours and continue weakening.
Philstar, citing PAGASA’s earlier bulletin, reported that Neneng was carrying maximum sustained winds of about 45 kilometers per hour with gusts reaching 55 kph. No tropical cyclone wind signals were raised over the Philippines.
But Neneng’s departure does not mean an immediate end to the dangerous weather.
Neneng Is Leaving, but the Habagat Is Not
PAGASA said the Habagat would continue producing rain and potentially strong to gale-force gusts across large parts of the country.
For Thursday, strong gusts were possible over most of Luzon and the Visayas, as well as Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao and Davao Region, particularly in coastal and upland locations exposed to the prevailing winds. On Friday, gusty conditions were expected to continue over most of Luzon, Panay Island, Negros Occidental, Northern Samar and Davao Oriental.
Metro Manila, the Cordillera Administrative Region, parts of Cagayan Valley and Central Luzon, Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, Rizal, Mindoro and Palawan were among areas expecting scattered rain and thunderstorms Thursday.
Ilocos Region, Batanes, Zambales and Bataan were forecast to receive occasional rains from the monsoon.
By 2 p.m., PAGASA’s Northern Luzon regional office was still forecasting light to moderate and at times heavy rain over locations in Aurora, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Benguet, Ifugao, Mountain Province, Ilocos Sur, Abra, Batanes, Kalinga, Cagayan, Isabela, Apayao and La Union.
That distinction matters: Neneng does not need to strike the Philippines directly for dangerous weather to continue.
PAGASA previously explained that tropical cyclones can strengthen or pull in the moisture-laden Habagat, creating longer and more intense periods of rainfall even when a storm remains far from Philippine land.
Death Toll From Luis, Maymay and Habagat Reaches 29
The Office of Civil Defense said Thursday that the reported death toll from the combined effects of Tropical Cyclones Luis and Maymay and the southwest monsoon had risen to 29.
According to OCD figures cited by GMA News, 15 fatalities were reported in Benguet, including 10 in Baguio City. Other reported deaths were recorded in La Union, Rizal, Batangas, Quezon, Oriental Mindoro, Negros Occidental and Caloocan.
Authorities linked the fatalities to incidents including landslides, rockslides, fallen trees, drowning, strong currents, electrocution and vehicular accidents.
The OCD also recorded 19 injured people and three missing persons as of Thursday morning.
The toll reflects the cumulative impact of the prolonged weather episode — not Neneng alone.
The situation has worsened significantly over the past several days. On August 9, the Philippine News Agency reported that eight people had died while around 486,000 individuals had already been affected by Luis, Maymay and the enhanced Habagat. Flooding had been recorded in several regions, while landslides were reported in Ilocos, Cordillera and CALABARZON.
Flooding Pushes Thousands From Their Homes in Bataan
Bataan emerged Thursday as one of the areas facing serious flooding.
Governor Jose Enrique Garcia III said flooding had affected Hermosa, Dinalupihan and Mariveles, prompting the provincial disaster council to recommend declaring a state of calamity.
Garcia said more than 4,000 residents had been moved to evacuation centers, while another roughly 4,000 temporarily stayed with relatives.
The proposed calamity declaration was expected to be discussed by the provincial board Thursday, meaning reports should distinguish between a recommendation and an officially approved declaration.
PAGASA also reported light to moderate rain with occasional heavy downpours in parts of Bulacan and Zambales late Thursday morning, with similar conditions expected over Bataan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija and portions of Quezon and Rizal.
Farms Take a ₱1.73-Billion Hit
The prolonged bad weather is also exacting a heavy economic cost.
The Department of Agriculture said damage and losses caused by the Habagat, Luis, Maymay and Neneng had reached approximately ₱1.73 billion as of Thursday.
Around 40,954 hectares of agricultural areas were affected, resulting in an estimated 43,220 metric tons of production losses.
Rice suffered the biggest financial blow, accounting for approximately ₱974.82 million of the total damage.
Affected agricultural and fisheries areas were reported across the Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA and Western Visayas.
Again, the ₱1.73-billion figure represents the combined effects of several weather systems and should not be presented as damage caused exclusively by Neneng.
The Bigger Question: When Will the Rain Finally Stop?
Neneng could be out of the Philippine Area of Responsibility by Thursday evening, but that may offer only limited relief.
PAGASA weather specialist Loriedin Galicia told GMA’s Unang Balita, as reported by Philstar, that the Habagat could continue affecting the Philippines through the end of August.
Neneng was never expected to make Philippine landfall. Instead, forecasters expected it to move toward Taiwan while influencing the southwest monsoon around the Philippines.
That means the focus is shifting away from the tropical depression’s track and toward what happens to the monsoon after Neneng disappears.
For communities that have already endured repeated flooding, landslides, evacuations and livelihood losses, a storm leaving PAR may no longer be the finish line.
The Habagat may be the weather story Filipinos still have to watch long after Neneng is gone.
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