WIDESPREAD damage from Typhoon Tino has paralyzed businesses, disrupted supply chains and crippled key industries across Cebu, prompting the province’s business chambers to mount coordinated relief operations while urging stronger collaboration between the public and private sectors to build long-term resilience.
The typhoon, which battered Cebu on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, with typhoon-force winds, heavy rainfall and severe flooding, left warehouses, manufacturing facilities and retail establishments heavily damaged. Tourism operations, meanwhile, were forced to suspend activities due to safety risks and infrastructure collapse.
In a joint appeal, the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) and the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) said coordinated action is critical to mitigate losses and prepare for future disasters. This is especially urgent as Cebu reels from the twin blows of typhoon Tino and the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck northern Cebu just five weeks earlier.
CCCI confirmed that its private sector task force, Padayon Cebu, has mobilized coordinated relief operations to support affected communities across the province.
“In response to the onslaught of tropical storm Tino, Task Force Padayon Cebu has mobilized coordinated relief operations to support affected communities across Cebu,” the chamber said in a statement.
According to CCCI, the task force is facilitating the donation of 5,000 food bags for distribution in severely affected areas, in coordination with local government units (LGUs). It is also deploying 100 IBC water tanks to help ensure access to clean and safe water for residents in Talisay City, Lapu-Lapu City and Consolacion.
“Moreover, the team has sourced essential supplies such as tarps, children's and women’s clothing, hygiene kits, blankets and towels,” CCCI added.
Task Force Padayon Cebu is a multi-sectoral initiative composed of the CCCI; Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) Visayas; MCCI; Talisay City Chamber of Commerce (TCCC); PCCI Lapu-Lapu City; Cebu Contractors Association; the Philippine Red Cross; Rotary Clubs of Cebu; Hotel; Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu; and various other business and civic organizations across the province. The task force serves as a united platform for the private sector and civil society to coordinate disaster response and recovery efforts.
Twin crises strain Cebu’s industries
CCCI said early reports point to significant losses in logistics, tourism and manufacturing.
“It’s now clear that there’s widespread damage brought about by the typhoon-force winds and heavy rains that caused severe flooding,” the chamber said. “Nature has dealt us a one-two punch, from the earthquake and now this.”
The group said business leaders are consolidating efforts to support recovery and ensure a coordinated approach with government agencies.
“We will get a clearer picture in the next few days as to what is needed for us to recover and build back better,” CCCI added. “The business community, comprised of leaders from the chambers and business support organizations through our Task Force Padayon Cebu, is united in ensuring that we are strategic in our approach as we work with government toward these goals.”
Despite the setbacks, CCCI expressed optimism in Cebu’s recovery. “We are confident of the Bayanihan Cebuano spirit and will bounce back very soon as always. Those that are not disrupted continue to be open for business,” it said.
Mandaue businesses suffer major losses
In Mandaue City, MCCI reported that manufacturing and warehousing firms experienced temporary operational halts due to power outages, flooding and property damage.
“The overwhelming damage caused by typhoon Tino is expected to disrupt business operations, supply chains and community activities,” MCCI said.
The group is working with the Mandaue City Government to consolidate reports and support affected enterprises. It also urged the government to invest in disaster-ready infrastructure, stronger early warning systems and sustainable urban planning.
“This is no time for mediocre, amateurish and band-aid solutions,” MCCI said. “We are ready to work with the City and Provincial Governments to enhance business continuity and disaster preparedness.”
Frustration over repeated devastation
For many entrepreneurs, the latest disaster has reopened wounds from typhoon Odette in 2021.
TCCC president Carl Cabusas issued an appeal to government leaders, describing the extent of destruction in residential and commercial areas as “heartbreaking” and calling for long-term resilience measures.
“I have personally witnessed my own share of horror sa among real estate development side,” Cabusas said. “Many of our clients are hardworking, middle-class families — mga pamilya nga akong kaila since we first planned, presold and finished our subdivision way back in 2010. This kind of damage should not have happened again.”
Cabusas stressed that the middle-class segment — often composed of professionals and small business owners — is just as vulnerable as low-income families during disasters, with their losses rippling through the wider economy.
“When a small or medium business falls, entire livelihoods crumble with it,” he said. “That’s why we are appealing — please, let’s plan ahead. Dili lang emergency response kada bagyo, but long-term resilience and coordination between public and private sectors.”
He added that Cebu’s business community is ready to collaborate with local and national authorities “to share insights and work together for a stronger and safer Cebu.”
Risky developments
Meanwhile, architect and environmental planner Daryl Balmoria-Garcia voiced alarm over ongoing large-scale hillside developments in Cebu, describing them as “tragedies waiting to happen.”
“I saw how extensive the damage was to this huge mountain with houses perched above and below. Seeing the excavations on site was like looking at murder — a horror movie,” Balmoria-Garcia said. “It is excruciatingly painful and horrific to see it with my own eyes. We should be scared, very, very scared.”
She cautioned that some hillside projects pose significant environmental and safety risks, especially during extreme weather events intensified by climate change.
“These types of developments are a mortal sin. This holds lives — not just for homeowners, but for people downhill who will be affected should a disaster happen,” she warned. “If we can do this to Mother Nature, imagine what Mother Nature can do to us with this kind of disrespect and abuse.”
As Cebu reels from the twin impact of the recent earthquake and typhoon Tino, the call for coordinated action, sustainable development and forward-looking urban planning has grown louder — a reminder that rebuilding will require more than just recovery, but a collective rethinking of how the province grows and safeguards its people. (KOC)