Text and video by Luis Liwanag, VERA Files
THE rains turned the whole metropolis into a virtual waterworld, but signs of Filipinos' tough and resilient nature emerged in images of surreal humor and even joy amid the disaster brought about by the southwest monsoon or habagat.
For brief moments on Wednesday, Aug. 8, the rains stopped to let the sunshine in, giving the populace some breathing space.
In some places, clean-ups started although the water has yet to subside in any parts of Metro Manila such as the stretch of Araneta Avenue which was accessible only by amphibious vehicles, rafts and makeshift bancas earlier in the day.
By afternoon, the skies turned grey again, bringing another round of rains to a drenched metropolis.
(VERA Files is put out by senior journalists taking a deeper look at current issues. VERA is Latin for true.)