ISYU.INFO

25 people, including 22 Hong Kong tourists, were taken hostage inside a tourist bus near the Quirino Grandstand at Rizal Park in Manila, Philippines. The hostage-taker was a bemedalled former police officer Rolando Mendoza. Earlier, Rolando Mendoza has released 9 people. He also claimed that he was unjustly accused and would like to have his job back.

The hostage-taking is ongoing, please tune in at CNN or BBC television channel.

Read the full story, Hostages at Rizal Park, at the Manila Bulletin site.
Read the full story, 9th hostage freed, 17 others left onboard bus, at the Inquirer site.
Read the full story with video, Philippines hostage-taker threatens ‘drastic action’, at the CNN site.
Read the full story with video, Police surround hijacked bus in Philippine capital, at the BBC site.

Updated at 2:58pm :
The hostage-taking has ended and some hostages are alive.

Many areas in North Luzon has been cut off due to floods and landslides. Planes and helicopters are being used to transport food and relief materials to bring to these areas. Typhoon Pepeng Tropical Storm Parma happened to be stronger than Typhoon Ondoy Tropical Storm Ketsana which both hit the Philippines. Typhoon Pepeng Tropical Storm Parma devastated Philippines on October 3, 2009 and stayed in North Luzon longer than forecasted. [inquirer.net]

Read the full story, Many areas cut off by floods, landslides, at the Inquirer site.
Read the full story, Struggle to reach isolated north Luzon areas, at the Inquirer site.

Typhoon Pepeng Tropical Storm Parma which was stronger than Typhoon Ondoy Tropical Storm Ketsana heavily hit Northern Luzon in the Philippines. As the typhoon hit the provinces, not a lot of pictures and videos were taken compared to when Tropical Storm Ketsana devastated Manila and Metro Manila. With Typhoon Parma, muds, floods, and landslides killed hundreds of people, displaced thousands of residents, damaged a lot of crops, and damaged a lot of places in Northern Luzon. [mb.com.ph and inquirer.net]

Read the full story, ‘Pepeng’ pummels North, at the Manila Bulletin site.
Read the full story, Landslide deaths lift RP storm toll past 450, at the Manila Bulletin site.
Read the full story, 150 die in Benguet slide, at the Inquirer site.

After Typhoon Ondoy Tropical Storm Ketsana left, thousands of Filipinos got displaced especially those living near the Laguna Lake. More than 700,000 people living in the villages near Laguna Lake have no place to live as the villages are no longer habitable because of the floods. [inquirer.net]

Read the full story, Lake swallows villages, at the Inquirer site.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), Typhoon Pepeng Tropical Storm Parma in the Philippines has weakened into a tropical depression. [inquirer.net]

Read the full story, ‘Pepeng’ weakens into tropical depression – Pagasa, at the Inquirer site.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said that the Tropical Storm “Pepeng” is still hovering near the Ilocos region in the Philippines. [mb.com.ph]

Read the full story, North Luzon still under threat, at the Manila Bulletin site.

Manila was heavily devastated when Typhoon Ondoy Tropical Storm Ketsana hit the Philippines on Saturday, September 26 2009. The heavy rainfall caused heavy floods / flooding in Manila which resulted to several dozens of death and thousands got hurt. [cnn.com]

Read the full story, Scores killed in Philippines floods, at the CNN site.

On September 26, 2009, Saturday, Philippines was devastated with flash floods caused by the Tropical Storm Ketsana also known as Typhoon Ondoy to Filipinos. Thousands were hurt and several dozens died. [bbc.co.uk]

Read the full story with video, Dozens dead in Philippine floods, at the BBC site.

Read the full story with video, Filipinos swept up in river floods, at the BBC site.