Despite 11 deaths and most of the country being submerged, including the capital Manila, under waist-deep floodwaters, Philippine officials were still praying for more rains. Officials say the three-days of continued downfall were not enough to solve the water shortage.

An administrator of the Philippine Office of the Civil Defense Glenn Rabonza said that typhoon "Chedeng" (international codename: Pabuk), and an approaching tropical depression "Dodong" (international codename: Wutip), enhanced the monsoon bringing much needed rain.

The heavy downpour since Monday came after three months of dry spell in the Philippines prompting President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to ask the public to pray for rains.

Even a bishop in the influential Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines called on the Catholic faithful to pray for rain over the weekend.

Rabonza said, "The rains are not enough. Scientists say we need one typhoon to hover for a night and dump rain in Angat [dam]. We need 400 millimeters of rain to fill up Angat dam and according to reports, yesterday, it was about 80 millimeters of rain."

He said he hope more rains would come, to fill up the dams in northern Philippines and avert a possible drought.

The lingering dry spell caused water shortages and caused sporadic power blackouts in major cities in the country.

Even Arroyo was already thinking of asking Congress to grant her emergency powers to avert the water crisis.

The heavy downpour triggered landslides in several areas in the country killing 11 people since Monday.