AT LEAST 1,445 families have been displaced by flooding in Negros Occidental, including Bacolod City, on Friday, July 18, 2025, due to heavy rains triggered by the southwest monsoon or habagat enhanced by Tropical Cyclone Crising.
In Bacolod City, a total of 65 families from Barangays 27, Granada, Cabug and Villamonte were evacuated to various evacuation centers. Four houses in Barangay Granada were also damaged.
Bacolod City Mayor Greg Gasataya led the distribution of relief packs to the 65 affected families with the assistance of the Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD) and the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO) on Saturday, July 19.
Richelle Verdeprado-Mangga, DSSD head, said they provided the assistance, including the donations gathered by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).
“We wanted to ensure families have provisions before returning home,” she said.
She said the City will also request additional food packs from the Department of Social Welfare and Development-Negros Island Region (DSWD-NIR) that will be distributed this week.
Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) records showed at least 1, 380 families in Negros Occidental were also affected by floods.
Irene Bel Ploteña, head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), said thousands of residents were affected by floods, which reached waist level.
She said most of them were evacuated, and they are now closely monitoring the affected local government units (LGUs) to determine the total number of the affected families including the damaged houses.
On Friday, some LGUs in southern Negros Occidental were hit by floods due to heavy rains triggered by the southwest monsoon or habagat.
These LGUs include the cities of Kabankalan and Himamaylan, and the towns of Cauayan, Hinoba-an, Binalbagan, Moises Padilla, and Ilog. (MAP)