Philippines Monsoon Floods

From August 2026, weeks of heavy habagat (southwest monsoon) rain, made worse by four tropical cyclones, caused flooding and landslides across Luzon in the Philippines. Tropical Storm Luis (international name Kujira) made landfall in Isabela on August 1 and again in Ilocos Sur on August 6, and was followed by Maymay, Neneng and Pilandok. In late August, more than 200 millimetres of rain fell on Metro Manila in five hours. Metro Manila, Rizal, Bulacan, Central Luzon and Benguet, including Baguio, were among the worst-hit areas.

As of September 5, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported 43 deaths, including 15 in Benguet, 10 of them in landslides in Baguio. The NDRRMC counted 9,614,020 people, or 2.78 million families, affected across 10 regions, with 162,057 people in 820 evacuation centres. Preliminary figures from the Office of Civil Defense put damage at P6.16 billion to infrastructure and P2.32 billion to agriculture, and 117 local governments declared a state of calamity.

The Philippine Red Cross, part of the Red Cross Movement, is responding with support from an IFRC Disaster Response Emergency Fund operation (MDRPH060). The IFRC has flagged rising leptospirosis cases after the floods.