Tropical Storm Maymay Leaves Trail of Landslides and Flooding Across Luzon

In a recent ANC 24/7 report, Tropical Storm Maymay brought heavy rains and deadly landslides to northern Luzon communities this week, leaving families in Benguet and La Union to cope with sudden losses while the southwest monsoon extended flooding to Metro Manila and as far as the Zamboanga Peninsula. Ordinary Filipinos — jeepney drivers in Baguio, sari-sari store owners in La Trinidad, farmers in the Ilocos Region — now face disrupted livelihoods as saturated soil raises landslide risks across the Cordilleras. The storm's path through the mountains highlights how even a weakening system can upend daily life in multiple regions at once.

Tropical Storm Maymay Leaves Trail of Landslides and Flooding Across Luzon

Manila, Philippines – This week — Tropical Storm Maymay, known internationally as Kujira, developed from a low pressure area off La Union on August 4, 2026, and strengthened into a tropical storm the next day before making landfall over Ilocos Sur or La Union. The system crossed the Cordillera mountain range, weakened to a tropical depression near Gamu, Isabela, by 1 p.m. on Thursday, and was forecast to become a remnant low before merging with Tropical Cyclone Dolphin, located 1,240 km east northeast of extreme Northern Luzon. Government meteorologist John Manalo noted that Maymay carried sustained winds around 55 kph as it moved toward the Philippine Sea, with severe winds still capable of affecting most parts of the country because the land was already saturated.

The Storm: Maymay's Path Across Luzon

Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 2 was raised over six Luzon areas on August 5 as Maymay closed in, and by Thursday Signal No. 1 remained over Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Abra, Benguet, Isabela and nearby provinces. PAGASA reported maximum sustained winds of 45 kph with gusts up to 75 kph, moving east-southeastward at 20 kph, with strong winds extending up to 180 km from the center. Gale warnings covered the western seaboard of Northern Luzon, with waves reaching 4.5 meters off Batanes and 4 meters along other northern and western coasts. Orange rainfall warnings of 100-200 millimeters were issued Thursday afternoon for Benguet and La Union, while yellow warnings of 50-100 millimeters covered Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, Abra, Tarlac, Pampanga, Metro Manila, Cavite, Batangas and Antique.

The Story of the Fatal Landslides

Two cooks died when a rain-induced landslide buried part of the JML Bulalohan eatery in Barangay Shilan, La Trinidad, Benguet, at 8 a.m. Thursday. The victims were Dino Agbuya and 31-year-old Lemar Ciano. Survivor Jerry Agbuya, 66, was pulled from the rubble at 10 a.m. and taken to Benguet General Hospital. Police Col. Dionisio Bonoy, director of the Benguet Provincial Police Office, said the two were already dead when rescuers reached them — the cooks had no chance to run after the retaining wall failed on the excavated mountainside above the eatery.

Waitress Lea Gawiden Ciano told investigators that the staff were working when Dino Agbuya suddenly shouted for help before the mountainside collapsed, burying the three cooks. "Two were already dead when rescuers reached them. Only one survived. Those trapped were the cooks who apparently had no chance to run," Bonoy told reporters. Search and rescue teams worked through saturated soil in the Cordilleras, where the southwest monsoon continued to feed rain into the region even as Maymay weakened.

In Rodriguez, Rizal, two siblings died around noon Wednesday when a boulder smashed into their house during a rockslide. The Office of Civil Defense confirmed the deaths are still being validated to determine whether they were directly caused by the weather disturbance. PNP spokesman Col. Allen Rae Co reported six total deaths under validation, including two men who drowned in Luna, La Union, and Alaminos City, Pangasinan.

Impact on Filipino Families

The NDRRMC's 6 a.m. August 6 report showed 80,633 people or 23,946 families affected by cyclones Luis and Maymay plus the habagat across the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Bicol Region, Zamboanga Peninsula, Cordillera Administrative Region and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Some 6,929 individuals or 2,215 families were displaced and staying in 39 evacuation centers, while flooding hit 83 areas and 12 houses sustained partial damage.

In Mountain Province, 12 families totaling 39 people left their homes after slope collapses, mudflows and rockfalls closed two national roads and restricted two others. The Department of Social Welfare and Development distributed family food packs, ready-to-eat meals and sleeping kits worth nearly P1.8 million to households in Benguet, La Union, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Albay and Zamboanga City. Aurora suspended small seacraft operations because of rough seas.

Daily life ground to a halt across much of Luzon. The Supreme Court suspended work in most Luzon courts on August 6, including the Court of Appeals in Manila and Baguio, the Sandiganbayan and the Court of Tax Appeals, keeping skeleton workforces in select units. Six domestic flights were canceled and four remained on the tarmac at Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Classes and government work stopped in Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, Zambales, Bataan and Metro Manila under Memorandum Circular No. 122, forcing families to rearrange work and school routines around the weather.

For the families inside the 39 evacuation centers, the immediate needs are food, water and a dry place to sleep. The NDRRMC said the estimated cost of food and non-food assistance provided to the most affected communities so far stands at more than P1.38 million, a figure that will rise as local government units and national agencies complete their damage assessments. Officials stress that the death toll remains subject to validation, with the two Benguet cooks, the two Rizal siblings and the two drowned men in La Union and Pangasinan awaiting official confirmation in disaster records.

A Storm-Weary Nation: Habagat and Climate Change

The Philippines faces an average of 20 storms and typhoons yearly as the first major landmass on the Pacific cyclone belt. The current sequence — Tropical Cyclone Luis, then Maymay, then the enhanced southwest monsoon — delivered four straight days of heavy rain across Luzon, leaving soil saturated and increasing flood and landslide risks through Saturday, especially in exposed coastal and upland areas.

OCD Deputy Spokesperson Diego Agustin Mariano explained why the damage spread far beyond Maymay's forecast track: "The storm is not affecting only the areas along its path in Northern and Central Luzon. It is pulling in the southwest monsoon, which is bringing heavy rains to other parts of the country. That is why this is challenging. The effects are scattered and not confined to the typhoon's track. We are seeing impacts as far as Region 9."

Scientists connect human-driven climate change to more frequent, prolonged and intense extreme weather events. For a country that already counts disaster response as a routine part of governance, the interaction between Maymay and the habagat now extends flood and landslide risks through the weekend in zones already soaked by earlier systems.

Government Response and Bayanihan

Malacañang placed the NDRRMC on full alert following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s directive, prepared more than 5 million family food packs and set aside over P1.6 billion in standby funds. Palace Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said, "The President and the government are prepared for any disaster." MMDA Chairman Don Artes deployed emergency rescue teams and specialized equipment across Metro Manila, coordinated with disaster offices in all 17 local government units, prepared mobile pumps and operated all 73 drainage pumping stations at full capacity.

Mandatory preemptive evacuations were ordered in flood-prone communities, landslide hazard zones and low-lying coastal areas. Tropical Cyclone Dolphin, still outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility but packing 150 kph winds with gusts of 185 kph, will enhance the southwest monsoon and bring additional rain to parts of Luzon and Visayas.

Amid the official machinery, communities in the Cordilleras and the Ilocos Region showed the bayanihan spirit that defines disaster season in the Philippines — neighbors in barangays like Shilan in La Trinidad and Tadiangan in Tuba helped clear debris from blocked roads, shared space in evacuation centers and checked on the most vulnerable families as the rains continued.

Reactions and Warnings

PAGASA warned of strong to gale-force gusts over most of the country through Saturday, particularly in exposed coastal and upland areas. Government meteorologist John Manalo cautioned that because the ground is already saturated, "the potential for flooding and landslides will be higher." The state weather bureau also extended its orange rainfall warning of 100-200 millimeters through the weekend for Ilocos Sur, La Union, Abra, Benguet and Zambales, with yellow warnings covering a wider swath of Luzon. The NDRRMC and local disaster councils continue monitoring affected communities, with authorities still validating whether the six reported deaths were directly caused by Maymay and the enhanced monsoon before adding them to official statistics.

What to Watch For

Communities in Benguet and La Union remain on alert for further landslides as the southwest monsoon persists, while clearing operations continue on closed national roads in Mountain Province. The NDRRMC will monitor Tropical Cyclone Dolphin's approach and its effects on already saturated areas through the weekend, and PAGASA says strong to gale-force gusts could persist over most of the country until Saturday.

For Filipino families, the lesson of Maymay is a familiar one: in a country that averages 20 storms a year, preparation and community solidarity matter as much as the storm itself. The validation of the death toll, the delivery of food packs to evacuation centers, and the steady drain of drainage pumps in Metro Manila will determine how quickly affected communities can return to normal life.

By Bella Reyes, Staff Writer

This article was produced with AI-assisted research and editorial support. Reporting is based on sources cited in the article.