Strong winds also bore down on homes in outlying slum areas along Manila Bay, where thousands of people live.
“Our house was destroyed and we lost many of our belongings,” housewife Dayang Bansuan told AFP news agency. “We fled our home just before dawn when the water started rising up to our ankles.”
Richard Gordon, chairman of the Philippine National Red Cross, said staff were trying to rescue people trapped by fallen debris in Batangas City.
“We have not received reports of major flooding in Manila because the typhoon did not bring rain but the winds were strong,” he said, adding that an increased awareness of storm surges and a willingness to follow government advice had also helped reduce casualties this time around.
The Philippines is hit by around 20 major storms a year. Typhoon Rammasun is the first to make landfall this year after the rainy season began in June.
Typhoon Haiyan, which devastated the country last year, killed more than 6,000 people and was said to be one of the worst storms on record.