Category: Philippine Star

Around P900,000 was spent by the Municipality of Consolacion to provide reusable tumblers to nearly 3,000 Grade 6 pupils, teachers and advisers in the town’s 20 public elementary schools in a bid to reduce single-use plastic waste.

The tumblers were distributed throughout July under the municipality’s Tumbler Ordinance, which promotes the use of reusable containers and seeks to lessen plastic waste in schools and communities.

The project was funded through the Local Government Unit’s Community Assistance Fund (CAF) allocated to Environment Committee Chairman Councilor Fred Herrera.

Herrera said the program was intended to turn the municipality’s environmental policies into an everyday practice, particularly among young learners who regularly use disposable plastic bottles and containers.

‘Dili enough nga maghimo lang ta og ordinance. We have to translate the ordinance into action,’ Herrera said.

He said the reusable tumblers are meant not only to provide students with containers for drinking water but also to encourage them to develop habits that can help reduce plastic waste.

Grade 6 pupils were selected as the initial beneficiaries as they are considered ‘mature enough’ to understand environmental responsibility and are preparing to transition to junior high school.

The initiative also supports lessons on waste management under the Department of Education curriculum, including the ‘5Rs’ – reduce, reuse, recycle, recover and repair.

Vice Mayor Joannes ‘Joyjoy’ Alegado, who joined the school-to-school distribution, said encouraging environmental responsibility among young people requires sustained effort and investment.

‘The reusable benefit of a tumbler is essential in curtailing the volume of single-use plastics that are indiscriminately thrown away,’ Alegado said.

He said the municipality wants students to take an active role in efforts to protect the environment, particularly by reducing their dependence on disposable plastic products.

Additionally, Herrera said he plans to seek a higher CAF allocation during the upcoming budget hearings to expand the program to other grade levels and sectors.

The local council is also pursuing broader environmental measures. Herrera recently sponsored an ordinance that went through its first reading promoting a ‘Bring Your Own’ (BYO) practice in government offices, schools and business establishments in Consolacion.

For Fuse Financing president and CEO Tony Isidro, the journey into formal credit began at home. When he was 10, Isidro helped tend his grandmother’s sari-sari store in Marikina, where he witnessed – and came to know by heart – a familiar scene: his grandmother’s loyal customers, or suki, as they’re known in Filipino, would stop by, pick out what they needed and ask to have their purchases ‘palista,’ or recorded on credit, Isidro recalls.

Looking back, Isidro says those childhood experiences taught him one of his earliest lessons in financial literacy: borrowing is fundamentally built on trust.

‘Borrowing money is deeply personal because it usually comes at a time when people need support the most,’ Isidro tells The STAR.

Isidro brought that lesson with him when he joined Fuse Financing, the lending arm of e-wallet giant GCash, five years ago. Since then, he has led the company in pursuing its vision of providing fair, accessible digital loans that help create a better everyday life for Filipinos.

‘Borrowing with dignity’

Palista is just one of the many ways Filipinos turn to credit when cash is tight, particularly when formal borrowing is not within easy reach.

Another widely used form of informal lending is the so-called ‘5-6’ loan. The term 5-6 has long been associated with informal moneylenders who typically charge a 20-percent interest rate – borrow P5 and repay P6, hence the name. Others, simply turn to relatives or friends when they need quick cash to make ends meet.

Isidro says such practices persist partly because traditional financial institutions have often left Filipinos feeling ‘excluded and overwhelmed’ by the requirements of borrowing through formal channels.

‘The challenge we face at Fuse is: how do you replicate that intimate, neighborhood-level trust at scale?’ he says.

Fuse aims to bridge that gap by making formal credit more accessible while giving borrowers an experience rooted in dignity and respect.

‘Borrowing with dignity means ensuring that every touchpoint across the customer’s entire journey – from the moment they secure their loan to the way they repay – is respectful, fair and empowering,’ Isidro says.

‘True financial inclusion is not just about giving people access to credit – it’s about treating them with respect every step of the way,’ he adds.

Measuring, building trust

At Fuse, dignity starts with a score.

The firm developed its technology-driven trust score called GScore, which measures a customer’s credit score based on their footprint within the GCash ecosystem. Through such a mechanism, Isidro points out, they can ‘extend fair, respectful and accessible’ credit to Filipinos.

The GScore helps unbanked Filipinos build a digital financial identity since some of the persisting challenges they face are the absence of formal financial records, collateral or traditional credit histories.

Fuse also extends dignity in how it handles collections. Isidro emphasizes that the firm has a zero tolerance policy on abusive collections and harassment.

The firm has begun using artificial intelligence to monitor call interactions between its agents and customers to ensure that every conversation remains ‘respectful, fair and strictly within regulatory guidelines.’

Isidro explains that technology provides Fuse with the necessary speed and scale to attract and serve its clientele, which has been growing consistently in recent years.

‘The biggest lesson I’ve learned in the past five years is that financial inclusion isn’t just about technology – it’s fundamentally about trust,’ Isidro, a management engineering graduate, says.

‘True, long-term success comes from understanding our customers deeply and building products that responsibly solve their daily pain points,’ he adds.

At present, Fuse’s products involve GCredit, a flexible credit line for users; GGives, an option to turn purchases into installment terms and GLoan for instant cash needs.

For the first quarter, Fuse has lent some P406 billion to 11.1 million unique users, 85 percent of whom are first-time users of formal credit.

The milestone, Isidro points out, highlights the sheer volume of Filipinos they have helped to steer away from informal, predatory ‘5-6’ lenders and onboard into the formal credit ecosystem.

‘While we’ve made meaningful progress, we admittedly still have a long way to go in closing the country’s credit and financial inclusion gap,’ Isidro says.

‘However, we remain optimistic that through our responsible credit solutions, we can bring more Filipinos into a safer, fully regulated formal credit ecosystem,’ he adds.

Stories that move

What keeps Isidro going are the stories behind every loan approved – the ordinary Filipinos whose lives have been changed by access to formal credit.

Among them is Sheila Gomez, a lawyer from Iloilo, who said GLoan became a reliable source of financial support while she was in law school.

Another is Juvy Camante, a 55-year-old sari-sari store owner from Pateros, who relied on GLoan to keep her business afloat and support its daily operations.

And that mindset of prioritizing customers is something that has been cultivated into Isidro’s leadership values when he was still in the consumer goods industry, which he says is ‘extremely relevant’ in the financial technology space.

‘That deep understanding of mass-market consumers is what allows us to create financial tools that are intuitive, accessible and meaningful, even for first-time borrowers,’ Isidro says.

Nothing reflects Fuse’s customer-first approach better than the launch of GLoan Sakto in 2024, a nano-loan product that Isidro calls his favorite. Designed for borrowers with small, immediate financing needs, it lets users borrow as little as P100 with no paperwork, zero interest, a minimal processing fee and a 14-day repayment term.

Isidro aptly describes it as ‘sachet loans,’ reflecting the sachet culture of Filipinos or buying things in small portions.

The product, Isidro says, has worked and has become a pantawid, or bridge, for Filipinos to meet their daily needs between paydays. These customers, he adds, have usually been tagged as ‘high risk’ by traditional lenders, excluding them from the formal system and forcing them to rely on predatory loan sharks.

‘Especially during challenging economic conditions, many users appreciate having access to small-ticket loans that help them address immediate needs while also helping them build their credit profile over time,’ he says.

The road ahead

Isidro shares that Filipinos’ understanding of digital credit products continues to improve, describing it as ‘an ongoing journey.’ That is why, he adds, continuous education remains crucial.

‘People need clear guidance on how to use credit to build financial health rather than falling into debt traps or turning to unregulated, predatory lenders out of desperation,’ he says, noting that they recently partnered with the Securities and Exchange Commission on a nationwide financial literacy campaign.

Some of the areas where Fuse sees massive opportunities in the next few years include refining its GScore technology, partnering with mission-aligned organizations like the Asian Development Bank, expanding ecosystem and merchant partnerships, and doubling down on consumer education, Isidro says.

‘We need to continually refine our technology and data models so we can offer tailored, industry-specific financing that is fair, transparent and built to help businesses and everyday Filipinos grow and seize opportunities truly,’ he explains.

Isidro is optimistic that Fuse, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, will continue to expand significantly and not just reach individual clients but also micro, small and medium enterprises that serve as the backbone of the economy.

‘Leadership is about creating a clear vision and empowering the team to move as one toward it. At Fuse, that unity of purpose keeps us relentlessly focused on the customer,’ Isidro says.

‘It means balancing innovation with responsibility-we aren’t just building lending products; we’re building trust and helping Filipinos borrow with dignity,’ he adds.

Pax Silica has an image problem. Before I explain why, let me tell you what it is about.

Pax Silica is a flagship effort of the U.S. government on AI and supply chain security, ‘advancing new economic security consensus among allies and trusted partners.’ It has already 24 signatory-countries including the Philippines. Taiwan, meanwhile is considered a non-signatory participant.

The Pax Silica Declaration commits participating countries to building a trusted, secure, and integrated AI-centered economic order spanning semiconductors, critical minerals, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, data networks, and software. It seeks to reduce dependence on unreliable suppliers, counter unfair market practices, protect sensitive technologies, and mobilize private investment among strategic partners.

The Philippines joined Pax Silica on April 16, 2026. No construction crew is on site yet, but the Philippine and U.S. governments have announced plans for a 4,000-acre economic-security and industrial zone in New Clark City, intended to host mineral processing, semiconductor and electronics manufacturing, AI-related facilities, logistics, and supporting infrastructure.

It is too early to pass judgment on Pax Silica as a project, particularly when no ground has yet been broken and its actual benefits and costs remain uncertain. Yet it already suffers from an image problem.

The word ‘pax’ is Latin for peace and, by extension, a stable international order. But the same word is historically associated with the Pax Romana. Do you remember that from world history class?

Pax, in the tradition of the Pax Romana, does not evoke peace in the ordinary sense of harmony among equals founded on justice. The historical problem with ‘pax’ lies precisely in what historian Toni Naco del Hoyo describes in his work, ‘War, peace and Rome’s empire-building ideology in the making,’ (2020) as its gradual incorporation into an empire-building ideology, in which stability went hand in hand with the permanent subjection and integration of provincial peoples into a world order centered on Rome. In other words, the word pax (peace) became part of the ideology by which the Roman Empire justified itself.

That is where I got the sense that there was something about the name Pax Silica that does not quite sound right. That does not mean Pax Silica is today’s version of the Roman Empire, nor is it fair, this early, to judge what the initiative will eventually become.

In its Roman historical context, pax connoted military and territorial dominance. In the emerging AI economy, that dominance may instead be technological, which means control over chips, critical minerals, energy, data infrastructure, supply chains, and the rules governing access to them – all of which sounds like a recipe for intense competition, if not war.

Pax gives one that niggling feeling that we are being unnecessarily drawn into the orbit of a dominant power, and possibly into troubles that are not necessarily our own. And it does not help that the current U.S. president is Donald Trump, a leader whose instinct for conflict and disruption hardly inspires confidence that this new ‘pax’ is principally about shared prosperity and peace but more like a plan to organize the emerging technological oder around technological dominance, exclusion, and control.

This is not a call to junk the initiative altogether. With an increasingly dominant and aggressive China that does not share the democratic values of the free world, there is indeed a need for cooperation among freedom-loving nations to construct a secure technological order based on shared benefits and capabilities.

Pax Silica has sensible elements – secure semiconductor supply chains, critical-mineral processing, AI infrastructure, reliable telecommunications, energy security, and protection against coercive economic practices – but it remains to be seen what principles does it operate under

Is it going to be partnership rather than alignment or loyalty to one dominant power? Will it allow technology transfer, not merely investment, leading developing countries like the Philippines to acquire engineering capability, intellectual know-how, and research capacity?

Will the Philippines, a mineral-rich country, be allowed to position itself higher in the value chain rather than remain merely a source of raw minerals? Will our partners respect our sovereignty over strategic resources and our environmental standards?

A foreign semiconductor plant, data center, mineral-processing facility, or AI campus built on Philippine soil may appear like a reason to celebrate. But will Filipinos know how to design, manufacture, own, improve and export in the future that we are not capable of producing today?

Shared access, resilient supply chains, technological capability, and equitable prosperity. Could somebody find a better name that captures all of these?

Illegal cigarettes with a combined value of P9.8 million were seized in separate anti-smuggling operations in this city on Thursday.

Members of the 2nd Zamboanga City Mobile Force Company were conducting maritime patrol around Layag-Layag Island in Barangay Talon-Talon when they spotted a suspicious motorized boat.

The team intercepted the boat and found it loaded with 2,182 reams of assorted cigarette brands with an estimated value of P6.5 million.

Crewmembers Omar Abdullah and Ismar Hussin were arrested after they failed to show documents for the transport of their cargo.

Meanwhile, another shipment of illegal cigarettes valued at P3.3 million was seized by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) from a commercial ferry docked at a wharf in this city yesterday.

The PCG said the ferry, which came from Jolo, Sulu, was carrying more than 1,000 reams of smuggled cigarettes concealed in several pieces of luggage.

No one claimed ownership of the cigarettes, prompting the PCG to coordinate with other authorities to investigate the matter.

Before the world’s elite battle for IRONMAN 70.3 Lapu-Lapu glory tomorrow here, the spotlight first belongs to the sport’s young stars.

A record-breaking 657 participants will converge at the Beachfront of Dusit Thani Mactan today, making RLC Residences IRONKIDS Lapu-Lapu the largest IRONKIDS event ever staged in the Philippines.

The milestone event officially opens the IRONMAN 70.3 Lapu-Lapu race weekend, transforming Mactan into a celebration of triathlon that spans every generation – from aspiring six-year-olds taking their first race steps to world-class professionals chasing championship honors.

Young athletes aged six to 15 will compete in both the aquathlon (swim-run) and kids run races, with participants coming from Lapu-Lapu City and neighboring cities and provinces. The record field reflects IRONKIDS’ continuing success.

Veteran actress Lorna Tolentino is now a member of the Philippine Navy Reserve Command, just like her late husband Rudy “Daboy” Fernandez.

Lorna attended her Basic Citizen Military Course Class’ graduation last August 7, Friday, at the Navy’s headquarters in Taguig, sharing photos of the event on her social media accounts.

“Discipline is choosing to finish, even when it’s hard. Just finished,” the actress wrote on her caption. “Lorna Tolentino Fernandez, at your service. Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!”

Lorna was given the rank of Seaman First Class assigned to the Navy’s medical and media responsibilities, according to Pang-masa writer Gorgy Rula.

The 64-year-old actress recounted to the showbiz journalist days of sea training her class had to go through in Cavite and how she was inspired to enlist because of Daboy.

The late actor was a Navy reservist and adopted member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1972, receiving full military honors when he passed away in 2008 from cancer. He was 56 years old when he died.

Lorna did not know what rank Daboy had in the Navy, as he largely kept that part of his life private but still noted how that inspired other celebrities, including herself.

“Maraming celebrities ang nagpa-enlist after nung death ni Daboy, di ba?” she said. “Iyon yung nag-pave ng way para makita ng ibang artista, lalo na ng mga action star at iba pa, ‘Ay, maganda pala sumali dito sa Philippine Navy.”

Local celebrities who are also military reservists include Christopher de Leon, Dingdong Dantes, Julia Barretto, Gerald Anderson, Michelle Dee, Winwyn Marquez, Bea Luigi Gomez, Arci Muñoz, Matteo Guidecelli, Geneva Cruz, Enzo Pineda, JM de Guzman, Rocco Nacino, Ronnie Liang and Karina Bautista.

A magnitude 5.4 earthquake jolted Occidental Mindoro yesterday morning, with intensities felt in some areas of Metro Manila.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the temblor occurred at 10:38 a.m., with its epicenter located 13 kilometers southwest of Mamburao town.

Phivolcs initially reported the quake to be magnitude 5.8.

The temblor was tectonic in origin.

Intensity 5 was felt in Mamburao in Occidental Mindoro, and Calapan, Naujan, Puerto Galera, San Teodoro and Victoria in Oriental Mindoro.

Intensity 4 was felt in Taal, Batangas, and Abra de Ilog and Sablayan in Occidental Mindoro.

Intensity 3 was recorded in Batangas City, General Trias in Cavite and San Pedro in Laguna as well as in Quezon City.

Intensity 2 was reported in Santa Cruz, Laguna and Guinayangan, Quezon as well as in Parañaque City.

A red rainfall warning has been raised over Metro Manila and several areas in Luzon due to heavy rains brought by the enhanced southwest monsoon or habagat.

In its heavy rainfall advisory at 2 p.m. on Saturday, August 8, state weather bureau PAGASA said serious flooding is expected in flood-prone areas under the red warning level.

The following areas are under the red warning level:

Bataan

Cavite

Metro Manila

Zambales: San Felipe, San Narciso, San Marcelino, Castillejos, San Antonio, Subic and Olongapo

Batangas: Nasugbu, Tuy, Lian, Balayan, Calatagan, Calaca, Lemery, Taal, San Luis, Bauan, Mabini, Tingloy, Talisay, Laurel, Agoncillo, San Nicolas, Santa Teresita, Alitagtag, Cuenca, Batangas City, San Pascual, San Jose, Ibaan, Lipa, Mataasnakahoy, Balete, Tanauan, Malvar and Santo Tomas

Pampanga: Lubao, Sasmuan, Masantol, Floridablanca and Macabebe

Bulacan: Hagonoy, Paombong, Malolos, Bulakan, Obando, Meycauayan, Marilao, Bocaue, Balagtas, Guiguinto and Calumpit

Laguna: Calamba, Cabuyao, Santa Rosa, Biñan, San Pedro, Los Baños, Alaminos, Calauan and Bay

An orange warning level, where flooding is threatening, was raised over:

Rizal

Batangas: Lobo, Padre Garcia, Rosario, San Juan and Taysan

Laguna: Nagcarlan, Pila, Victoria, San Pablo, Rizal, Liliw, Pagsanjan, Majayjay, Magdalena and Santa Cruz

Zambales: Botolan, Cabangan, Iba, Masinloc and Palauig

Quezon: Sariaya, Candelaria, Dolores, Tiaong and San Antonio

Pampanga: Apalit, Arayat, Bacolor, Candaba, San Fernando, Magalang, Mexico, Minalin, San Luis, San Simon, Santa Ana, Santo Tomas, Angeles, Mabalacat, Guagua, Porac and Santa Rita

Bulacan: San Rafael, Baliuag, Pulilan, Plaridel, Bustos, Angat, Pandi, Santa Maria and San Jose del Monte

A yellow warning level, where possible flooding may occur in flood-prone areas, was also issued over:

Zambales: Santa Cruz and Candelaria

Laguna: Kalayaan, Mabitac, Paete, Pakil, Pangil, Siniloan, Famy, Santa Maria, Cavinti, Lumban and Luisiana

Bulacan: Doña Remedios Trinidad, San Ildefonso, San Miguel and Norzagaray

Tarlac: Mayantoc, San Jose, Capas and Bamban

Quezon: Lucban, Tayabas, Lucena, Pagbilao, Sampaloc, Atimonan, Mauban and Real

Meanwhile, light to moderate rains with occasional heavy downpours were affecting Nueva Ecija, as well as parts of Quezon and Tarlac, and may persist within three hours.

The warning comes as the southwest monsoon continues to bring heavy rains across Luzon. The Office of Civil Defense said six people have reportedly died from the combined effects of tropical cyclones Luis and Maymay and habagat, with the deaths still being validated.

Around 74,800 families or 261,000 people have been affected by the weather systems as of Saturday morning, while at least 63 areas have been reported flooded, mostly in the Ilocos Region, Central Luzon and parts of Calabarzon.

Maymay made landfall in Magsingal, Ilocos Sur, before dawn on August 6 and later weakened into a low pressure area. Despite the cyclone’s dissipation, PAGASA said habagat rains are expected to continue affecting Luzon and Visayas over the next 24 hours.

Gokongwei-led food and beverage company Universal Robina Corp. (URC) delivered a strong second quarter performance, with core net income attributable to parent rising by 10 percent to P2.9 billion on the back of disciplined financing cost management and better sales.

URC’s net income from continuing operations during the three-month period reached P3 billion, up by 25 percent year-on-year.

Sales improved by two percent during the quarter to P41.5 billion, bringing first half revenue growth to four percent.

URC attributed the growth in sales to the company’s branded businesses, particularly branded consumer foods (BCF) and animal nutrition and health, supported by resilient core demand and sustained brand investments.

BCF posted P29.4 billion in sales for the quarter, up by four percent year-on-year.

URC said the continued scale-up of the flour business also contributed positively to its overall performance.

Its agro?industrial and commodities segment saw sales slip by three percent to P12.1 billion as growth in animal nutrition and health, as well as flour, was offset by lower sugar volumes and softer market prices.

Flour sales increased by eight percent, while animal nutrition and health sales surged by 20 percent, driven by hog feeds, cat petcare and featherlines.

Overall, URC president and CEO Irwin Lee said the company’s second quarter performance demonstrates the strength and balance of its portfolio.

‘Growth from our branded consumer and animal nutrition businesses, alongside improving contributions from flour, enabled us to deliver on our plans despite the anticipated softness in sugar. More importantly, we were able to manage disruption and cost impacts triggered by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East,’ Lee said.

A red rainfall warning remained in effect over Metro Manila and several areas in Luzon as the enhanced southwest monsoon or habagat continued to bring heavy rains on Saturday, August 8.

In its heavy rainfall warning at 5 p.m., state weather bureau PAGASA said serious flooding is expected in flood-prone areas under the red warning level.

The following areas are under the red warning level:

Bataan

Metro Manila

Zambales

Batangas: Lobo, Rosario, San Juan, Taysan, Batangas City, Ibaan, San Pascual, Bauan, Mabini, Tingloy, San Luis, Taal, Lemery, Calaca, Balayan, Tuy, Lian, Calatagan, Santa Teresita, Alitagtag, Nasugbu, Laurel, Agoncillo and San Nicolas

Cavite: Maragondon, Ternate, Magallanes, General Emilio Aguinaldo, Alfonso, Bacoor, Imus, Kawit, Cavite City, Noveleta, Rosario, Naic, Trece Martires, General Trias and Tanza

Pampanga: Porac, Floridablanca, Lubao, Guagua, Macabebe, Sasmuan, Masantol, Santa Rita and Minalin

Bulacan: Hagonoy, Paombong, Malolos, Calumpit, Bulakan, Meycauayan, Obando and Marilao

PAGASA said flooding is still threatening in areas under the orange warning level. These are:

Pampanga: Magalang, Angeles, Mabalacat, Apalit, Arayat, Bacolor, Candaba, San Fernando, Mexico, San Luis, San Simon, Santa Ana and Santo Tomas

Bulacan: Angat, Balagtas, Baliuag, Bocaue, Bustos, San Jose del Monte, Guiguinto, Norzagaray, Pandi, Plaridel, Pulilan, San Rafael and Santa Maria

Rizal: Antipolo, Rodriguez, San Mateo, Angono, Baras, Binangonan, Cainta, Cardona, Morong, Taytay and Teresa

Cavite: Amadeo, Indang, Mendez, Silang, Tagaytay, Carmona, Dasmarinas and General Mariano Alvarez

Batangas: Balete, Tanauan, Cuenca, Lipa, Malvar, Mataasnakahoy, Padre Garcia, San Jose, Santo Tomas and Talisay

Laguna: Cabuyao, San Pedro, Santa Rosa, Biñan and Calamba

Tarlac: Mayantoc, San Clemente, Camiling, Capas, San Jose, Bamban and Santa Ignacia

A yellow warning level, meanwhile, was raised over parts of Laguna, Quezon, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan and Rizal, with flooding possible in flood-prone areas.

The areas under the yellow warning are:

Laguna: Liliw, Luisiana, Magdalena, Majayjay, Nagcarlan, Pagsanjan, Pila, Rizal, Santa Cruz, Victoria, Cavinti, Famy, Kalayaan, Lumban, Mabitac, Paete, Pakil, Pangil, Santa Maria, Siniloan, San Pablo, Calauan, Bay, Alaminos and Los Baños

Quezon: Mulanay, Buenavista, Catanauan, San Narciso, San Francisco, San Andres, Macalelon, General Luna, Guinayangan, Lopez, Calauag, Tagkawayan, Quezon, Alabat, Perez, Lucban, Tayabas, Pagbilao, Lucena, Padre Burgos, Atimonan, Plaridel, Gumaca, Pitogo, Unisan, Agdangan, General Nakar, Infanta, Real, Mauban, Sampaloc, Sariaya, Candelaria, Dolores, Tiaong and San Antonio

Tarlac: Tarlac City, La Paz, Concepcion, Paniqui, Gerona and Moncada

Nueva Ecija: San Isidro, Cabiao, San Antonio and Gapan

Bulacan: San Miguel, Doña Remedios Trinidad and San Ildefonso

Rizal: Tanay, Pililla and Jala-Jala

Meanwhile, light to moderate rains with occasional heavy downpours were affecting parts of Quezon, Nueva Ecija and Tarlac and may persist within three hours.

Habagat continues to drench Luzon

The latest rainfall warning came as the enhanced southwest monsoon continued to bring heavy rains across Luzon.

The Office of Civil Defense earlier said six people have reportedly died from the combined effects of tropical cyclones Luis and Maymay and habagat. The reported deaths are still being validated.

Around 74,800 families or 261,000 people had been affected by the weather systems as of Saturday morning, while at least 63 areas were reported flooded, mostly in the Ilocos Region, Central Luzon and parts of Calabarzon.

Tropical Cyclone Maymay made landfall in Magsingal, Ilocos Sur, before dawn on August 6 and later weakened into a low pressure area.

Despite Maymay’s dissipation, PAGASA said the enhanced southwest monsoon would continue to bring rains to affected areas.