THE Bacolod City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (BCDRRMC) has approved a resolution recommending to the City Council the declaration of a state of calamity in the city following the devastating effects of Typhoon Tino.
Mayor Greg Gasataya said they held an emergency meeting on Wednesday evening, November 5, 2025, and agreed to recommend the declaration of a state of calamity.
After the approval of the resolution, he said he wrote Vice Mayor Claudio Puentevella to convene a special session on November 6 for the purpose of declaring the city under a state of calamity.
He added that the purpose of the BCDRRMC resolution is to implement a price freeze and allow barangays to use their calamity funds to assist affected constituents.
The mayor said that price increases in basic goods are often unavoidable during disasters of this scale.
Gasataya said the city has sufficient funds to assist affected residents of Bacolod.
The mayor will also meet with barangay officials and the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO) to determine the total number of destroyed or damaged houses in the city.
Gasataya said that as of November 6, 2025, the Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD) recorded at least 28,000 individuals evacuated to various centers.
Meanwhile, DSSD head Richelle Verdeprado-Mangga said that as of 1 p.m. Thursday, November 6, at least 1,047 families were still staying in evacuation centers.
“Most of them lost their homes and may have to stay in evacuation centers for a week,” she said.
She added that as of 2 p.m. November 6, they had recorded at least 266 destroyed houses and 2,028 damaged houses across various barangays.
Verdeprado-Mangga said the city is finalizing its data to facilitate the release of cash assistance to affected families. (MAP)