MANILA – Rescue operations went full blast in northern Luzon hit by floods and landslide as tropical depression Pepeng (international codename Parma) continued to move away from the country on Saturday.

The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) reported that floods in various parts of northern Luzon, particularly in Pangasinan province, have started to recede, paving the way for more massive rescue and retrieval operations in the flood-hit and landslide devastated areas.

The agency said floods started to recede as rains brought on by tropical depression Pepeng (international codename Parma) began to ease.

Nathaniel Cruz, spokesperson of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), said Pepeng may already be out of the Philippine area of responsibility by Saturday afternoon. ( More News in Here )