I.

HIGH PROFILE SCANDALS/CRIMES

1) Golden Arinola Scandal
 Possibly the mother of all high-profile controversies that rocked the whole nation
—and costed another shot at the presidency—was the “golden bedpan” of former
president Elpidio Quirino.
 Though lavish display of wealth was actually unverified, it made rounds and
became a national sensation because of an article fabricated by Manila Chronicle
editor Celso Cabrera. The rumor, which later former senator Francisco Tatad
revealed to be untrue, sparked an outrage among the public and forever painted
him as an American shill.
 Eventually, the rumors were dispelled. Cabrera admitted that the former
President’s bedpan was far from gold.
2) Vizconde Massacre
 The Vizconde Massacre is one of the most high-profile rape and murder cases in
the Philippines. It occurred on June 30, 1991 when three members of the
Vizconde family were brutally murdered in their home in B.F. Homes, Parañaque.
 The victims were Carmela Vizconde, 19, Jennifer Vizconde, 6, and their mother,
Estrellita Vizconde, 49. Lauro Vizconde, the father and husband of the victims,
was away on a business trip in the U.S.
 Estrellita suffered thirteen stab wounds. Carmella was raped before she was
murdered, sustaining 17 stab wounds. Jennifer, who was only 6 years old, had 19
stab wounds.
 There had been no leads in the case until, in 1995, Jessica Alfaro stepped forward
as a self-described key witness to the crime. She implicated the sons of some of
the country’s wealthiest and powerful families. Among the accused were Hubert
Webb, Antonio Lejano II, Hospicio Fernandez, Michael Gatchalian, Miguel
Rodriguez, Peter Estrada, Joey Filart and Artemio Ventura. Webb is the son of
former senator Freddie Webb.
 According to Alfaro’s testimony, she was friends with the suspects, and they were
having a “drug session” when Hubert Webb allegedly decided to rape Carmela
Vizconde. Alfaro said that when they got to the residence, Webb instructed her to
come with him because Estrellita would only allow Carmela to entertain female
guests. Once in the residence, Alfaro claimed that Webb followed Carmela to the
dining room, so she went out to have a smoke. From outside the house, Alfaro
said she saw Lejano and Ventura take a knife from the kitchen, and proceeded to
kill the mother first. Alfaro further explained that after Estrellita was killed, Webb
proceeded to rape Carmela, but Jennifer woke up and saw what he was doing to
her sister, so she jumped on Webb and bit him. Alfaro reported that Webb threw
Jennifer across the room to a wall, and then stabbed her repeatedly. Alfaro’s
testimonies were corroborated by other witnesses.
  Almost a decade after the massacre, on January 6, 2000, the court ruled that Webb
and company were guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
 After another decade, In December 2010, the Supreme Court reversed the lower
court’s decision, ruling that the prosecution failed to prove that Webb and
company were guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
 The Supreme Court decision broke the heart of Lauro Vizconde, who, since the
murder of his family, dedicated the rest of his life with the group Volunteers
Against Crime and Corruption.
3) Mayor Antonio Sanchez Case
 Antonio Leyza Sanchez is a Filipino politician who served as Mayor of Calauan,
Laguna from 1988 to 1993. He is the mastermind in the rape-slaying of Eileen
Sarmenta and the murder of Allan Gomez in 1993. Sarmenta and Gomez were
both students of the University of the Philippines, Los Baños (UPLB).
 On the night of June 28, 1993, Eileen Sarmenta and Allan Gomez, students of the
University of the Philippines in Los Baños, were abducted by men of Calauan
Mayor Antonio Sanchez at gunpoint.
 The two were brought to Erais Farm in Barangay Curba, owned by the Mayor.
Eileen was gagged by a handkerchief and her hands, like Allan, were tied. A
white towel was wound around Allan's mouth. Court records showed Sanchez's
men also brought Gomez along "to avoid complications". The two were brought
inside the resthouse where Eileen was taken to Sanchez's room and Allan was
badly beaten up by Luis Corcolon, Rogelio "Boy" Corcolon, Zoilo Ama and
George Medialdea and thereafter thrown out of the resthouse.
 At around 1:00 a.m. the next day, a crying Eileen was dragged out of the
resthouse by Luis and Medialdea, her hair disheveled, her mouth covered by a
handkerchief, her hands still tied and stripped of her shorts. The Mayor, clad
merely in a white polo, appeared and thanked Luis and Medialdea for the gift. He
is alleged to have stated: "I am through with her. She's all yours." When asked
what would happen to Allan, Medialdea assured the Mayor that they would also
kill him for full measure. Eileen and Allan were then loaded in the Tamaraw van
by the appellants and headed for Calauan, followed closely by the ambulance.
Kawit finished off Allan with a single gunshot from his Armalite.
 The men then stopped at a sugarcane field in Sitio marupok, Kilometro 74 of
Barangay Mabacan, and gang-raped Eileen. Kawit invited Centeno to join the
sexual fiasco but Centeno refused as he could not, in conscience, bear the
bestiality being committed on Eileen.
 Despite Eileen's pleas to spare her life, Luis Corcolon fired his baby Armalite at
her, and ordered Centeno to get rid of Eileen's body.
 On March 14, 1995, Pasig Judge Harriet Demetriou concluded the 16-month
Sarmenta-Gomez murder trial with the finding that Calauan Mayor Antonio
Sanchez and several henchmen (only some of whom were policemen) were guilty
 of raping and murdering Sarmenta and killing Sarmenta's boyfriend. Demetriou,
in her 132-page decision, described the crime as being borne out of "a plot
seemingly hatched in hell".
 Sanchez is currently serving seven (7) terms of reclusión perpetua (40 years per
term) for the crime. On January 25, 1999, the Philippine Supreme Court affirmed
the decision of the Regional Trial Court. On August 29, 1999, Sanchez was given
a double life term by the Supreme Court for a different case. Together with his
seven life terms for the Sarmenta-Gomez murder, Sanchez will have to spend a
total of 360 years in jail.
4) PEA Amari Scandal
 President Fidel Ramos was accused of corruption in the PEA-Amari deal. The
controversial deal involved the acquisition of 158 hectares of reclaimed land on
Manila Bay that was to be converted into so-called Freedom Islands. The deal was
forged in April 1995 as part of the Ramos administration's Manila Bay Master
Development Plan (MBMDP).
 The PEA-Amari deal – in addition to other projects in Manila Bay - displaced
over 3,000 fishing and coastal families in Manila Bay just to give way to what
fisherfolk activists from Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng
Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) described as "an immoral, illegal and grossly
unconstitutional state venture".
 The project, Hicap added, also violates the principle of social justice; the PEA-
Amari deal involves “the crudest form of corruption among bureaucrat capitalists
in the government in conspiracy with their business clients."
 Data obtained from PEA revealed that the property was sold to Amari for P1.9
billion or P 1,200 pesos per square meter although the value of properties in
adjacent areas were pegged at P90,000 per square meter. The Senate in its inquiry
in 1998 found a paper trail representing commissions paid to certain PEA officials
amounting to P1.7 billion.
 Former President Ramos denied accusations that the PEA-Amari deal was
clinched to benefit members of the ruling Lakas-NUCD as alleged by opposition
groups.
5) The Chiong Murders
 The Chiong murder case is one of the most controversial rape-slay cases in the
Philippines because of the amount of publicity it gained.
 On July 17, 1997, sisters Marijoy and Jacqueline Chiong went missing. According
to the prosecution, Jacqueline and Marijoy were waiting for a ride home when
they were forced into a car at about 10 p.m. on July 16, 1997 at the Ayala Center
Cebu.
 According to the Chiong family, Marijoy and Jacqueline were brought to a house
in Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City, where they were raped. Then, they were
transported to Carcar, where they were again raped. Two days later, Marijoy's
 body, bruised and raped, was found at the bottom of a ravine in Carcar.
Jacqueline's remains are missing to this day.
 For some reason, the prosecution identified Francisco “Paco” Larrañaga, as the
mastermind of the crime. In 2004, Larrañaga, along with six other men, were
convicted of raping and murdering the Chiong sisters.
 But Larrañaga had an ironclad alibi: he was not in Cebu but in Quezon City the
whole time, attending his classes in school. The school logs actually show his
attendance, which was corroborated by his classmates and teachers. He even
answered an exam.
 Larrañaga holds dual citizenship as a Spanish-Filipino. He was extradited to for
Spain in 2009, and has since sought help from the entire European Union for his
case. Spain’s royal family appealed to the Philippines to admit a mistrial, while
the Spanish government and the European Union lobbied for the Philippines to
declare Larrañaga and his co-accused innocent.
 Some people consider Paco Larrañaga lucky that he is a citizen of the powerful
and influential European Union, but for the six of his co-accused, they remain in
prison to this day.
6) Hello Garci Scandal
 "Hello Garci" refers to the alleged wiretapped conversations where vote rigging in
the 2004 elections was discussed by, among others, a woman presumed to be
President Arroyo and man presumed to be COMELEC Commissioner Virgilio
Garcillano.
 The controversy that nearly toppled the Arroyo administration started at the
Palace, when Presidential Spokesperson Ignacio Bunye released CDs of the Hello
Garci conversations on June 6, 2005. The revelation spawned House and Senate
investigations, as well as calls for President Arroyo's resignation. The President
was steadfast in her refusal to step down. She admitted talking to a COMELEC
official during the canvassing period and apologized for her "lapse in judgment"
in making such a call.
 Garcillano's whereabouts became unknown after the Hello Garci CDs came out;
there had been rumors that he slipped out of the country. He resurfaced more than
five months later, admitting that he had conversed with President Arroyo during
the canvassing period--after the votes had been counted. He denied that President
Arroyo instructed him to cheat in the 2004 elections. He had since appeared in
House hearings on the wiretapping controversy.
 In the tape, exposed a year after the 2004 elections, Arroyo was heard asking
Garcillano if she would still lead the count by more than 1 million. That 1 million
she did get over her opponent, Fernando Poe Jr.
 On Dec. 17, 2018, the Pasay City Regional Trial Court dismissed the very last
case Arroyo was facing, for electoral sabotage — not even over the “Hello,
Garci” case, but on charges that she ordered the manipulation of the 2007
 senatorial race in Maguindanao to ensure a 12-0 administration victory. The court
said the prosecution failed to prove Arroyo’s guilt.
7) Maguindanao Massacre
 On the morning of November 23, 2009, a group of people including 31 reporters
accompanied the family of Esmael Mangudadatu, a rival of the Ampatuans, a
powerful political clan, to witness the filing of his election papers for the
forthcoming gubernatorial election in Maguindanao, a province on the island of
Mindanao in the southern Philippines.
 According to Reuters, “The convoy was attacked, leaving 57 dead in a massacre
described by the International Crisis Group as “one of the worst acts of political
violence in modern Philippine history, and the largest number of journalists slain
on a single day ever, anywhere in the world.”
 About 100 armed men ambushed the convoy of vehicles on a lonely stretch of
highway and drove them to the top of a hill before killing them all. Several
women were raped before they were killed. Andal Ampatuan Sr., the patriarch
whose family ruled poor and troubled southern Maguindanao for nearly a decade
and has close ties to former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, was charged with
murder in February 2010, along with 196 others including his relatives, soldiers,
police officers and members of a civilian militia.
 The Maguindanao massacre is also known as the Ampatuan massacre after the
town where the mass graves were found.
 The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called the Maguindanao massacre
the single deadliest event for journalists in history. At least 34 journalists are
known to have died in the massacre.
8) Bong Revilla Plunder Case
 An anti-corruption court in the Philippines has acquitted movie star-turned-
politician Ramon Revilla Jr. of plunder, the first verdict among several high-
profile cases in the biggest corruption scandal to hit the country in the last decade.
 Revilla's plunder case was part of a larger "pork barrel" scam involving another
two former senators and several other congressmen who allegedly pocketed a
total $189m.
 The Sandiganbayan court convicted Revilla's aide Richard Cambe and his alleged
co-conspirator Janet Lim-Napoles of the same crime.
 It said the prosecution failed to prove that the former senator was "guilty beyond
reasonable doubt" of conspiring with Cambe and Napoles to embezzle more than
$4m of his "pork barrel" discretionary funds.
 The court ordered Revilla to return the equivalent of $2.3m to the national
treasury.
 Revilla also faces corruption charges but with the resolution of his plunder case,
he has been allowed to post bail and be released from jail.
9) Mamasapano Clash
  The Mamasapano clash was an incident that occurred during a police operation,
codenamed Oplan Exodus, which took place on Sunday, January 25, 2015, at
Tukanalipao, Mamasapano, Maguindanao, by Special Action Force (SAF) of the
Philippine National Police (PNP) (allegedly joined by United States Army Special
Forces) against the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The operation was intended to capture or kill
wanted Malaysian terrorist and bomb-maker Zulkifli Abdhir and other Malaysian
terrorists or high-ranking members of the BIFF.
 The operation caught the attention of many for the relatively high number of
police officers killed. The clash has been dubbed as the biggest loss of
government elite force in history.
 A total of 44 SAF personnel were killed during the encounter. #Fallen44 became
a worldwide trend on social media site Twitter as an effort to honor the 44 slain
SAF members. The SAF casualties were later dubbed as the Fallen 44. The
incident saw one of the highest fatalities of government forces in a single peace
time operation.
 The two agencies that cooperated during the battle, the Philippine National Police
and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, confirmed on Wednesday February 4,
2015, at 6:30 p.m. that Zulkifli Abdhir, also known as Marwan, was officially
killed during the Mamasapano encounter, based on a matching DNA test.
 Aquino’s failure—or refusal—to prevent the massacre of our elite troops in
Mamasapano by Muslim rebels is the worst crime ever committed by a Philippine
President.
 Aquino had been told early that morning that troops of the police’s Special Action
Force (SAF) tasked with terminating an international terrorist were pinned down,
and that its commander Getulio Napeñas, was pleading for his troops to be
rescued. Yet Aquino did nothing the whole day.
10) De Lima Drug Case
 Senator Leila De Lima was had a 3 charges against her regarding illegal drugs last
2017.
 First Case- Branch 204 is handling Criminal Case Number 17-165, one count of
violation of Section 5 of the Dangerous Drugs Act, which penalizes the "sale,
trading, administration, dispensation, delivery, distribution and transportation of
illegal drugs." According to the charge sheet, between November 2012 and March
2013, De Lima and former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) officer-in-charge
Rafael Ragos allegedly extorted money from Bilibid inmates. According to the
charge sheet, De Lima allegedly asked money from the inmates to fund her
senatorial bid in 2016. The inmates, according to state prosecutors, traded and
trafficked drugs inside prison and were able to produce P5 million in November
2012 and another P5 million in December 2012. The inmates are the same ones
who testified against De Lima in a probe before the House of Representatives.
 This combined P10 million, with the addition of P100,000 collected from the
“tara” of each of the high-profile drug inmates in NBP, was allegedly given to De
Lima through Ragos and De Lima’s former aide, Ronnie Dayan.
 Second Case- The second count of drug trade, handled by Branch 206, was filed
against De Lima; former BuCor chief Franklin Jesus Bucayu; Bucayu’s former
staff, Wilfredo Elli; inmate Jaybee Sebastian; Dayan; De Lima’s former security
aide, Joenel Sanchez; and a certain Jad de Vera. The charge sheet accused De
Lima and Bucayu of tolerating the “widespread drug trade” inside the maximum
security compound. This was from May 2013 to May 2015, according to the
charge sheet. De Lima and Bucayu allegedly conspired with Elli, a former police;
and Sanchez, who was a member of the Presidential Security Group (PSG)
assigned to De Lima, to again extort money from unnamed inmates. This time, the
inmates were able to allegedly produce P70 million, which was given to De Lima
through Sebastian, Sanchez, and De Vera. Part of the money was also allegedly
given to Bucayu through Elli. Bucayu and De Lima allegedly raided the
maximum security compound after that, but spared Sebastian to allow him to have
sole control of the drug trade.
 Third Case- Criminal Case Number 17-166, handled by Branch 205, is another
count of drug trade against De Lima and De Vera. De Lima and De Vera
allegedly had influence over high-profile inmate Peter Co. As in the other two
cases, De Lima allegedly extorted money from Co, who was able to produce P30
million and 4 vehicles which were given to De Lima through De Vera. This
allegedly happened in March 2016.The Department of Justice (DOJ) dismissed
the drug charges against inmates Herbert Colanggo, Engelbert Durano, Vicente
Sy, Jojo Baligad, and Peter Co because “they will be utilized as prosecution
witnesses.” De Lima’s camp has filed motions to quash before the courts. Aside
from the question of jurisdiction, which De Lima has also pleaded before the
Court of Appeals (CA), the senator’s lawyers are arguing that the information
does not constitute the crime of drug trade. In their motion, they said that if the
allegations are true, De Lima’s participation only falls under Section 26 of the
Dangerous Drugs Act which is attempt or conspiracy. De Lima's lawyer,
Alexander Padilla, told Rappler that the charges of drug trade were intentional on
the part of the DOJ to ensure that the charges will be non-bailable. Violators of
Section 5 of the Dangerous Drugs Act face 12 years to life imprisonment. Under
criminal procedures, "no person charged with an offense punishable by life
imprisonment shall be admitted to bail regardless of the stage of the criminal
prosecution."Padilla also questioned the filing of 3 separate complaints when they
could have consolidated them into one to constitute drug trade.

II. Historical Calamities and Disasters

1) Mayon Volcano Eruption
 World renowned for its almost perfect cone shape, Mayon is the country’s most
active volcano. Albay’s Daragang Magayon (Bicolano words for "beautiful lady")
– is very temperamental. It has erupted nearly 50 times since its first recorded
explosion in 1616. Those eruptions caused untold destruction and claimed many
lives.
 At 8am on February 1, 1814, began the most deadly recorded eruption of Mt
Mayon, in which more than 1,200 people were killed.
 After a number of seismic shocks, a thick column of stones, sand and ash shot
high into the air. The sides of the mountain were hidden by veils of ash, smoke
and vapour. A fiery stream of lava dashed down the side of the mountain and the
sky darkened. Then stones began falling to earth killing many people. Even
houses offered no protection as the stones were red hot and set buildings on fire.
 After the eruption ceased, large numbers of dead and injured people lay
everywhere. The whole town of Cagsawa was buried.
 One particularly sad incident occurred when the priest of the church in Cagsawa
church ordered the bells to be rung to warn the local people of the eruption.
Hundreds of people took refuge in the church, but unfortunately the lava stream
and accompanying ash surrounded and covered the church, killing about 200
people inside.
2) 1968 Metro Manila Earthquake
 At around 4 am on August 2, 1968, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake hit the city of
Casiguran in Aurora province.
 Though Manila is located relatively far from the epicenter, it was the national
capital that suffered the brunt of the tremor.
 Ruby Tower, a 6-storey building in Binondo, Manila, was among the buildings
that were severely damaged. In it were 38 commercial units and 76 residential
units.
 According to the post-disaster study conducted by the United Nations Education,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), much of the building collapsed.
“The upper floors fell southwards while the southern end of the roof moved about
30 feet south and 10 feet east. The lower floors appeared to fall close to their plan
position.”
 Striking at a time when most people were sleeping, massive loss of lives was
inevitable. Among the 270 people who died, 268 of them were buried alive in this
building. Of the 261 injured, 260 were from the Ruby Tower as well, some of
whom died later on.
3) 1976 Mindanao Earthquake
 It was 10 minutes past midnight of August 17, 1976, a Tuesday. While most
people were sleeping, a massive earthquake, registering magnitude 8.0 on the
Richter scale, rocked most of Mindanao and parts of the Visayas
  The tremor was most strongly felt in the cities and towns surrounding the Moro
Gulf, particularly in Cotabato City, which now hosts the regional center of the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
 With its epicenter near the town of Lebak in Sultan Kudarat, in a region of the
Celebes Sea where earthquakes frequently occur – the 1976 Moro Gulf quake
brought with it one of the most terrifying natural forces known to man: a tsunami.
 Without warning, about 2-5 minutes after the earthquake struck, waves as high as
9 meters reached the shore and inundated communities along the Moro Gulf. The
tsunami affected 700 kilometers of coastline, with Pagadian City, Cotabato City,
Zamboanga City, and Lebak in Sultan Kudarat experiencing the highest waves.
 About 8,000 people died, including those missing and were never found, making
it the most disastrous tsunami to hit the Philippines.
4) MV Doña Paz
 MV Doña Paz was a Philippine-registered passenger ferry that sank after colliding
with the oil tanker MT Vector on December 20, 1987.
 Traveling from Leyte Island to the Philippine capital of Manila, the vessel was
seriously overcrowded, with at least 2,000 passengers not listed on the manifest.
 It was claimed that the ship did not have a radio and that the life-jackets were
locked away.
 Official blame was directed at Vector, which was found to be unseaworthy, and
operating without a license, lookout or qualified master.
 With an estimated death toll of 4,386 people and only 24 survivors, it remains the
deadliest peacetime maritime disaster in history.
5) 1990 Bohol Earthquake
 The February 8, 1990 earthquake at Bohol area is one of the few strong
earthquakes that have affected central Philippines since the early 1900's.
 This M.6.8 1990 Bohol event nonetheless wrought havoc to at least 16
municipalities, caused numerous casualties, injured about three hundred people,
rendered several thousand homeless and evacuated from the coastal areas, and
damaged at least P154 million worth of properties.
 The epicenter of this earthquake was initially placed onshore at 17km east of
Tagbilaran City and was attributed to the movement along the Alicia Thrust Fault-
a fault trending northeast-southwest.
 The southeastern part of Bohol island experienced tsunami inundation particularly
the municipalities of Jagna, Duero, Guindulman, Garcia Hernandez, and Valencia.
In this study, several issues were resolved regarding this seismic event.
6) 1990 Luzon Earthquake
 At around 4 pm on July 16, 1990, a magnitude-7.8 earthquake hit Northern and
Central Luzon. Its epicenter was recorded in Nueva Ecija, and the shaking lasted
for about a minute.
  Among the hardest hit areas were the cities of Baguio, Cabanatuan in Nueva
Ecija, and Dagupan in Pangasinan.
 In Baguio City, several structures collapsed, burying people alive. Some
establishments destroyed included hotels like the Hyatt Terraces Plaza, Nevada
Hotel, Baguio Hilltop Hotel, Baguio Park Hotel, and FRB Hotel.
 The quake left an estimated US$369-million worth of damages, and a total of
2,412 people dead.
7) Pinatubo Eruption
 It was June 11, 1991 when they first saw minor emissions from Mount Pinatubo.
While it was considered an active volcano, Pinatubo has been dormant for about
600 years already.
 On June 15, the eruption of Mount Pinatubo began at 1:42 p.m. local time. The
eruption lasted for nine hours and caused numerous large earthquakes due to the
collapse of the summit of Mount Pinatubo and the creation of a caldera.
 Unfortunately, at the time of the eruption Tropical Storm Yunya was passing 75
km (47 miles) to the northeast of Mount Pinatubo, causing a large amount of
rainfall in the region. The ash that was ejected from the volcano mixed with the
water vapor in the air to cause a rainfall of tephra that fell across almost the entire
island of Luzon.
 Most of the 200 to 800 people (accounts vary) who died during the eruption died
due to the weight of the ash collapsing roofs and killing two occupants.
 In addition to the ash, Mount Pinatubo ejected between 15 and 30 million tons of
sulfur dioxide gas. Sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere mixes with water and oxygen
in the atmosphere to become sulfuric acid, which in turn triggers ozone depletion.
Over 90% of the material released from the volcano was ejected during the nine-
hour eruption of June 15.
8) Typhoon Ondoy
 Ten years ago on September 26, Tropical Storm Ondoy (international name:
Ketsana) ravaged Luzon, submerging areas like Metro Manila in floods at record-
breaking levels.
 Ondoy, then combined with the enhanced southwest monsoon, caused damages to
infrastructure and agriculture at a cost of P11 billion.
 Ondoy is one of the worst natural disasters to hit the country in terms of number
of people affected. Ondoy affected 993,227 families or 4,901,234 people, making
it fourth in the list of worst natural disasters in the Philippines in terms of number
of people affected. From the total of affected population, 464 were killed, 529
injured, and 37 were missing. Furthermore, a total of 15,798 families or 70,124
people took shelter in 244 evacuation centers.
 Metro Manila and about 30% of all provinces in the Philippines were placed
under a state of calamity. In Metro Manila, the most affected areas in terms of
flooding were Pasig City, Quezon City, City of Manila, Caloocan City,
 Muntinlupa City, and Marikina City, with the highest height of flood ranging
from knee to neck level, up to roof top. Marikina City is one of the areas that
were most affected by Ondoy in Metro Manila. Just after a week of Ondoy’s
havoc, Typhoon Pepeng entered the country and also caused damages in the
northern part of the country. The damages brought by both Ondoy and Pepeng led
to the enactment of Republic Act No. 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk
Reduction and Management Act of 2010.
 Ondoy caused a leptospirosis outbreak that year. In 9 Metro Manila hospitals, the
Department of Health (DOH) recorded a total of 383 cases of leptospirosis just a
few weeks after Ondoy caused flooding in Metro Manila, CALABARZON, and
Central Luzon.
 Ondoy's rainfall remains unmatched by other typhoons that followed.
9) Hagupit ng Habagat
 The 2012 Luzon southwest monsoon floods (informally known in Filipino as
Hagupit ng Habagat, "wrath of the monsoon" and Bagsík ng Habagat, "fierceness
of the monsoon", from Habagat, the Filipino term for the southwest monsoon),
was an eight-day period of torrential rain and thunderstorms in the Philippines
from August 1 to August 8, 2012.
 Its effects centered on Metro Manila, the surrounding provinces of the
CALABARZON Region (Quezon, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal) and the provinces
of Region 3 (Bulacan, Pampanga and Bataan).
 It caused typhoon-like damage: the most damage caused by rain since September
2009, when Typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy) struck Metro Manila. The heavy rain
caused the Marikina River to overflow, destroying areas also affected by Ketsana,
triggering a landslide in the Commonwealth area and collapsing the northbound
Marcos Highway.
 The floods and rain left 95 people dead, 8,428 homes destroyed and 6,706
damaged. Nationwide losses totaled at least ₱604.63 million.

10) Typhoon Yolanda/ Typhoon Haiyan

 Typhoon Yolanda made landfall in the Philippines on November 8, 2013, as a
Category 5 storm. It laid waste to the Visayas group of islands, the country’s
central region and home to 17 million people. Haiyan was the most powerful
storm in 2013 and one of the most powerful typhoons of all time.
 With wind speeds sustained at more than 150 mph, Haiyan was classified as a
super typhoon. However, its massive storm surge was even more destructive.
Local officials estimated that Tacloban City on the island of Leyte was 90 percent
destroyed.
 The typhoon’s fury affected more than 14 million people across 44 provinces,
displacing 4.1 million people, killing more than 6,000 people, and leaving 1,800
missing. In addition, 1.1 million houses were both partially and totally damaged,
33 million coconut trees (a major source of livelihoods) were destroyed, and the
livelihoods of 5.9 million workers were disrupted.