Another Pasig City resident, Arturo Fidelino, said 80 percent of his village was flooded.

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Fort Santiago, once the guarding fortress of the city and the Pasig River, is now a war memorial.

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Other Pasig City residents were evacuated to temporary shelters set up in a municipal hall or gymnasium, he said.

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In the city of Pasig -- part of metropolitan Manila -- enterprising residents used inflatable mattresses as makeshift boats to ferry people through flooded streets.

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Focus is on rehabilitating the Pasig River through Manila.

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Manila sprawls east from Manila Bay along the Pasig River, and immediately south of the river is Intramuros, the old walled Spanish town where many of the city's historical sites are found.

CNN: ASIANOW - Travel Watch | Manila City Guide: Environment