MANILA -- A baby drowned in a flooded home while two people went missing Friday as Typhoon “Isang” dumped heavy rains in northern and central Philippines, reports said.

More than 4,000 residents of flooded communities in Metro Manila and San Mateo town in Rizal province also fled their homes to emergency shelters as water rose waist-deep, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said.

For updates from around the country, follow Sun.Star on Twitter

Authorities suspended classes and work in all government agencies in Metro Manila Friday. The Philippine Stock Exchange also suspended trading after the central bank halted operations, including clearing facilities for stock exchange transactions.

The state-run Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Tropical Storm "Isang" (international codename: Molave) was packing winds of 95 kilometers per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 125 kph on Friday as it blew across the Luzon Strait on the northern tip of the main island of Luzon.

It was centered southwest of Taiwan around 4 p.m. Friday and moving at 15 kph west-northwest toward Hong Kong and southern China.

The weather bureau said the ninth storm to hit the country this year has intensified the seasonal monsoon rains that have been pouring since Thursday.

The NDCC said some mountain roads in several northern provinces were blocked by landslides triggered by the heavy downpour.

A nine-year-old boy has not been found since falling into an open manhole in a flooded street in San Mateo, the disaster agency said.

It added that a 22-year-old man went missing during the storm in Imus town in Cavite province.

In a television report, a couple discovered early Friday that their nine-month-old daughter had drowned after she apparently fell into their flooded room as they were sleeping in La Paz district in Iloilo City.

Storm signal

As of Friday, typhoon signal number 2 was hoisted over Batanes, Ilocos Norte, Apayao, Northern Cagayan, Babuyan and Calayan Group of Islands.

Signal number 1 was also raised over the rest of Cagayan, Kalinga, Abra, Mt. Province and Ilocos Sur.

Thirty families or 180 people from two barangays were evacuated to Santolan Elementary School in Quezon City.

The NDCC said 114 families have been evacuated to Malanday and Nangka Elementary Schools in Marikina City.

Nine barangays in Malabon, likewise, were submerged in water as deep as eight feet.

Residents in areas with storm warning signal have been advised to remain alert and seek evacuation for possible life-threatening flashfloods, mudslides and landslides due to the anticipated heavy rains brought about by this system, the Pagasa said.

Police help

Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Jesus Verzosa, meanwhile, ordered Friday all police regional offices in areas affected by ongoing weather disturbances to activate their respective Disaster Response Plans.

The police regional offices were also told to assist civil defense and local government authorities in rescue, relief, evacuation and rehabilitation operations.

Verzosa also alerted the Special Action Force, Maritime Group and other national support units with search and rescue capability to be ready for deployment to conduct rescue, relief and rehabilitation operations.

In Metro Manila, the concerned police units were directed to ensure the availability of personnel and equipment for rescue and relief operations, particularly in low-lying and flood-prone areas.

The PNP chief issued the directive upon receipt of field reports of flooding in some areas due to torrential rains spawned by Typhoon Isang in Luzon and Metro Manila.

Emergency crews

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), for its part, has deployed 605 emergency crews and 112 equipments in the critical sections along Manila North Road in northern Luzon in anticipation of damages to roads and bridges brought about by the typhoon.

Undersecretary Romeo Momo, in charge of Luzon Operation, said the DPWH regional directors in Luzon were instructed to immediately deploy maintenance crews and equipments to respond on emergency road situations.

"As pronounced by Pagasa, the predicted path will be passing trough majority of the jurisdiction of Region 1 (Ilocos region), that's why we are now focusing on the monitoring of road situation along Manila North Road and also along Daang Maharlika Highway in Region 2 (Cagayan Valley)," he said.

The maintenance crews are equipped with chain saw for immediate removal of possible fallen trees along the road network.

Mechanics were also tapped to assist motorists and dump trucks to transport stranded motorists.

DPWH Director for Ilocos Mariano Alquiza said that among the critical areas they are monitoring are the road network passing through the swamp areas in Malasiqui, Lingayen, and Dagupan in Pangasinan, and the catch basin areas in Moncada and Paniqui in Tarlac.

"The DPWH-Ilocos Maintenance Division is now working round-the-clock to assure the continuous monitoring of our road network" Alquiza said.

Typhoon Isang entered the country early this week and expected to leave the country early Saturday.

About 20 storms and typhoons sweep through the archipelago yearly. (AP/VR/FP/PNA/Sunnex)