ONE month after typhoon Tino caused unprecedented flash floods, residents of Barangay Tamiao in Compostela are appealing for sustainable livelihood assistance to rebuild their homes.
Barangay Captain Leilamie Talingting reported over 200 damaged structures and emphasized that relief goods are insufficient for long-term recovery. The flooding, attributed to the rare overflow of the Cotcot River basin, was described by locals as the most severe in decades.
Municipal Administrator Joel Durante said in an interview with SunStar Cebu on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, that the municipality experienced an unprecedented surge of floodwaters, particularly along the Cotcot River, which residents described as the strongest they had witnessed in decades.
“Recovery will not be quick due to the extent of the damage, but the local government under Mayor Felijur Quiño is doing its best to address all concerns related to the recovery program,” Municipal Administrator Joel Durante said in an interview with SunStar Cebu on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025.
According to Durante, residents of coastal barangays said Cotcot River had not overflowed at such magnitude in the last 50 to 90 years. The heavy volume of water affected all 17 barangays.
“The biggest volume of water came from Cebu City. The Cotcot River shares the same river basin with Liloan and the Lusaran area of Cebu City, so adjacent barangays were all greatly affected,” he said.
Compostela is traversed by two major river basins — the Canamucan River and the Cotcot River.
Prepared but overwhelmed
Durante said the local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) team began preparations as early as November 1.
“We really prepared. We executed forced evacuation. More than 4,000 families were evacuated,” he said. However, the magnitude of the floodwaters was beyond what they had anticipated.
“The water was so extreme that even big houses, including second floors, were swept away. This was felt not only in Compostela but also in other towns,” he said.
Durante, who lives a kilometer from the river, said he himself experienced flooding inside his home.
Fatalities
As of Dec. 4, Compostela recorded 37 fatalities. Of the number, only 26 were identified and confirmed to be Compostela residents. The others, believed to have been swept by floodwaters from Cebu City, remain unidentified.
The fatalities were from barangays
Molao (19), Tamiao (15), Cabadiangan (15) and eight were from other barangays. A total of 21 persons are still missing.
“We are still in the retrieval stage. We have K9 units augmented from Region 5 and support from national and provincial agencies. Excavators and K9s are deployed in coastal barangays from Cabadiangan to Cotcot,” Durante said.
Personnel involved in the ongoing operations include members of the Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, National Bureau of Investigation’s forensic unit, the Provincial Government, and local DRRM teams. At least nine personnel and six K9 units remain on the ground. Asked about reports that a poultry facility in Tamiao had missing workers, Durante said the Municipal Government could not confirm the information.
He said while some nearby workers were swept away, it remains unclear whether the facility was operating during the storm.
The area near the poultry, where several houses once stood, is now completely washed out.
“Every LGU tries its best. The mandate is to save lives. But sometimes we cannot foresee or measure the power of nature,” Durante said.
Ground zero
Tamiao seeks livelihood aid for flood-hit residents. The village recorded 63 totally damaged houses and over 176 partially damaged structures, mostly near the river.
Talingting said while private groups and nongovernment organizations provided food and relief goods, these will not sustain affected families in the long term.
The local government has distributed roofing sheets and plywood, but the materials are not enough for residents to fully rebuild their houses, she said.
Residents, she stressed, still need a stable source of income to reconstruct their homes.
Talingting said Tamiao is fortunate to have received stress debriefing and basic supplies such as food, clothing, and shelter from private individuals. The LGU also provided construction materials.
However, the biggest challenge remains livelihood recovery. Most residents rely on river sand collection, construction work, and factory jobs, all of which have been disrupted by the disaster.
River sand collectors could not resume work as the barangay warned of their safety.
Talingting said six residents remain missing in Tamiao. A body found in front of their barangay hall last week is undergoing DNA testing to verify if it was a Tamiao resident.
Born and raised in the barangay, Talingting said the scale of the flooding was unlike anything she had ever seen before.
“The floods brought by typhoon Tino, looked like something from the Bible,” she said.
Tamiao conducted preemptive evacuation the night before, on Nov. 3, but some residents resisted, Talingting said.
Talingting recalled one fatality who declined to leave despite her constant pleas.
“Ayaw kabalaka, Kap, kay duol raman mi sa bukid, dagan lang mi (Don’t worry, Kap. We’re near the mountains. We will just run),” was the resident’s response, Talingting said. / CDF