At least three persons were killed and millions were left without power yesterday as Tropical Storm “Gener” turned into a typhoon, bringing heavy rains to large parts of the country, the government said.
Metro Manila was one of the worst hit areas and schools across the sprawling capital were suspended, largely due to flooding, the National Disaster Risk Re-duction and Manage-ment Council (NDRRMC) said.
Nearly 13,000 persons were evacuated in Manila, other parts of Luzon and the central Visayas region, as rainfall reached 20 millimeters an hour, it added.
“The worst ap-pears to be over, though... there will be more rains forecast today,” NDRRMC executive director Under-secretary Benito Ramos said.
Gener did not strike the country directly but exa-cerbated rains from a low pressure area in the vicinity, the Philippine Atmo-spheric Geo-physical and Astronomical Service Administra-tion (Pagasa) said.
The storm was upgraded into a typhoon yesterday as it continued to bring heavy rains and strong winds to the northernmost areas of the Philippines, it added.
By late afternoon Monday, Gener was in the Philippine Sea, 260 kilometers off the northernmost Batanes islands and heading slowly toward Taiwan, Pagasa said.
The northern regions are still vulnerable to flash floods and landslides even as the typhoon pulls away, it warned.
Ramos also reminded residents living along low-lying areas and mountain slopes to be on alert to prevent being trapped in case of landslides and flash floods.
He also stressed government warning that fishing boats and other small sea craft should not venture out to the sea.
“Residents living in low-lying and mountainous areas are alerted against possible flash floods and landslides. Likewise, those living in coastal areas under public storm warning signal 2 are alerted against big waves or storm surges generated by Gener,” Ramos said.
“Fishing boats and other small sea craft are advised not to venture out into the seaboards of Central and Southern Luzon, Visayas and eastern seaboard of Mindanao due to the combined effects of Gener and the southwest monsoon,” he added.
One person drowned in the central province of Antique, while the body of a man believed to be a fisherman lost at sea washed ashore in Cavite, he said.
The Coast Guard, meanwhile, said one of 57 passengers aboard a ferry that sunk Sunday in rough seas in the central Philippines died of an apparent asthma attack while being rescued.
All the other people aboard were safe, it added.
Aside from the three fatalities, Gener has affected a total of 5,816 families composed of 28,631 individuals from seven provinces in Regions III, IV-A, IV-B and VI. Of the number, 539 families or 2,413 persons have been evacuated to 17 evacuation centers.
The typhoon also knocked out power for as many as two million households in Manila starting late Saturday, said Joe Zaldarriaga of  the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) which distributes power to the capital of 15 million.
Even though repair crews had restored electrical service to most of those affected, there were still 38,000 homes without power as of Monday afternoon, he said in a radio interview.
“We apologize for the inconvenience but be assured that we are doing are best to immediately restore power,” Meralco said in statement to customers.
Intermittent heavy rains and strong winds since Sunday night has prompted government authorities to suspend class in Metro Manila, and the adjacent provinces of Rizal, Batangas and Cavite which are not covered by any public storm warning signal.
Storm Signal No. 3 was placed over the Batanes Group of Islands, while Storm Signal No. 2 was placed over Cagayan, Calayan Group of Islands, and Babuyan Group of Islands.
Under Storm Signal No. 1 are Isabela, Kalinga, and Apayao.
As of press time yesterday, several major dams in Luzon have started opening gates to release excess water that would bring flooding to low-lying areas in Bulacan
The management of Ipo Dam has opened gates to release of excess water from the facility. The released water may affect areas in Bulacan province, particularly Norzagaray and Hagonoy.
The NDRRMC, through Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, has recommended to the Office of the President to suspend government offices yesterday afternoon.
Work in all government agencies was suspended in Manila in the afternoon to allow workers to return home early amid forecasts of more rain, Malacañang also yesterday said.
Meanwhile, a Malacañang official warded off allegations of the  inability of government agencies to issue preventive precautions even as he claimed the government was in fact very prompt in posting warnings via an Internet social network.
In a press briefing, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda even boasted of a transcript of a “timeline” which contained details of the government weather bureau’s advisories posted in the “media.”
Asked for details of the “timeline,” Lacierda mentioned Twitter as the media where the public advisories cautioning Metro Manila residents on the fury of Gener, were posted.
According to him, the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) and the Pagasa have been issuing public announcements via twitter.com.
Asked why  use “twitter” as media, Lacierda defended DoST and Pagasa’s judgment call to utilize twitter as the most viable medium in  issuing public warnings, advisories and announcements “because top television networks are picking it up anyway.”
Relatedly, Vice President Jejomar Binay said the Office of the Vice President (OVP) will conduct relief operations in different areas affected by Gener.
“We are already in coordination with officials of the local governments affected. We only need to check the areas and see what the affected residents need,” he stressed. Mario J. Mallari, Fernan J. Angeles, Gina P. Elorde, Jason Faustino and AFP