Thousands of typhoon and flood victims in Metro Manila and nearby provinces remain crammed in evacuation centers more than a week after storm Ondoy inundated large parts of Luzon, with many evacuees being moved to give way to the opening of classes starting Monday.

In Pasig City, hundreds of evacuees have been transferred to the Ultra sports complex as the public schools where they used to stay opened to regular classes. The evacuees complained about lack of relief supplies and crowded accommodations.

Most of the evacuees came from Barangays Pinagbuhatan, Palatiw, and Caniogan where stagnant flood water remained waist-deep in many areas.

Maris Santos, 47, of Pinagbuhatan, said they were better off when they were still housed in the public school in their area.

“Mas maganda pa po sa schools, maluwag nang konti. Dito para kaming sardinas, siksikan. Di ka makagalaw,” she complained.

Santos said she doesn’t want to stay in evacuation centers but has no choice.

“Wala na po kaming babalikang bahay, hanggang baywang pa ang tubig.”

Other evacuees complained that civic organizations doling out relief goods could have lost their way as the victims can no longer be found in the previous evacuation centers.

“Simula po kagabi wala pang relief assistance. Etong dala naming bigay ng mga TV network at ibang organisasyon dun sa evacuation centers,” said 59-year-old Jose Tabbas.

“Sana lang po i-announce nila sa media na inilipat kami sa Ultra para dito kami mapuntahan at mabigyan ng tulong,” he said.

Classrooms in Muntinlupa City and Pateros, meanwhile, remained packed with evacuees, prompting authorities to postpone the return of students for a few more days.

Omar Acosta, Muntinlupa Public Information Office (PIO) chief, said classes have yet to resume at Tunasan Elementary School, Putatan Elementary School, Muntinlupa Business High School and Muntinlupa Science High School that are still in use by flood victims.

Acosta said the students would have to make up for the lost school days of their extraordinarily long vacation by skipping their semestral break, something that has already been approved by the Department of Education (DepEd).

Some 3,500 families are still being sheltered in these schools, Muntinlupa Mayor Aldrin San Pedro said.

As for the schools that are only partially being used as evacuation centers, families that have been staying there will be transferred to other sites so that students may take their place.

Over in the municipality of Pateros, only private schools pushed through with the scheduled reopening of classes last Monday, Mayor Joey Medina said.

Public schools in all levels will follow suit on Wednesday.

The delay, Medina said, is to give the public schools time to conduct a general cleanup of the facilities that became temporary homes for the town’s evacuees. Eight out of the ten schools in Pateros were turned into evacuation centers during Ondoy’s assault.

Many areas in Muntinlupa and Pateros also remain submerged in floodwater, and authorities expect the water to recede in two to three months’ time.

Taguig City Mayor Sigfrido Tinga on the other hand announced that classes on all levels in the city’s public schools will resume today after giving way for the cleaning of school facilities used as evacuation centers on Monday.

Tinga said that four of the 11 schools in Taguig’s 1st district have already been cleared of evacuees, while seven schools remain temporary shelter for more than 400 affected families who have yet to return to their homes.

He said that as of Monday, flood waters in 85 percent of the affected areas in the city’s 15 barangays have completely receded, except for some portions of Barangays Napindan and New Lower Bicutan.

Residents attributed the receding of the flood waters to the city road dike which was able to pump water out to the Laguna de Bay.