Weary farmers in the Philippines' farming heartland struggled amid their worst floods in decades, as the death toll from torrential rains that also pounded the capital rose to 60.

The floods that submerged 80 percent of Manila early in the week had largely subsided, allowing people to return to their homes, but water remained waist-deep across a huge area of a vital rice growing region to the north.

Nearly two weeks of monsoon rains across the Philippines' main island of Luzon peaked with a 48-hour deluge earlier this week that battered Manila and surrounding regions.

The extra deaths occurred mainly in the provinces during the initial deluges from Monday to Wednesday, but government officials in the outlying areas could not immediately report the casualties to Manila headquarters.