A senior Philippine official in-charge of managing traffic, garbage collection, and flood control, on Thursday urged the public to pray harder to lessen floods in the capital Manila and nearby cities.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Bayani Fernando told reporters during a forum that prayers worked before to bring in needed rains, then it would also help to lessen flooding.

"Pray," was Fernando's reply when asked what his agency was doing in preparations for the predicted flooding.

"If it rains, let us pray that it would not be torrential. Let us ask for intermittent rains, but not totally no rains because our farmers also need rains," Fernando said.

Fernando was asked by the media on the MMDA's preparation in the light of the forecast made by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration of La Nina and more rains in the last three months of the year.

Turning serious, Fernando says his agency is also busy cleaning waterways, particularly, canals, to avert flooding when heavy rains comes.