ON FRIDAY, Feb. 6, 2026, by about 2 p.m., heavy rains began falling across Southern Cebu, including Barangay Mantalongon in Dalaguete, as tropical depression Basyang lingered over the Visayas region. The weather disturbance, internationally known as Penha, brought prolonged rainfall, moderate winds and rough seas as it moved northwestward through the Cebu Strait and toward Negros Oriental. Officials had placed dozens of areas under Pagasa’s Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 and No. 2 due to the system’s impacts.
As rain continued into the evening and night of Feb. 6, the river beside the home of Romulo Jabagat, 67, and his wife Luzviminda, 69, overflowed, triggering flash flooding that rushed into their house and forced them to move to higher ground for safety.
The following day, Romulo’s birthday on Saturday, Feb. 7, instead of celebrating, the couple spent their time cleaning up their home and repairing their bamboo bridge, recovering from the aftermath of the flooding. The floodwaters also destroyed a nearby farm and damaged crops of cabbage, tomatoes, onions and chayote that local farmers depended on for income and food.
Across Cebu Province, the heavy rain from Basyang prompted evacuations and precautionary measures: over 1,500 individuals were evacuated from flood-prone towns and barangays and work and classes were suspended in several municipalities ahead of the worst of the rainfall.
Elsewhere in the Philippines, Basyang had already caused significant impacts before weakening. It made multiple landfalls, including in Surigao del Sur and Bohol, and brought landslides, flooding and displacement to parts of Mindanao and Northern Mindanao. In Cagayan de Oro City, rainfall-induced landslides and flash floods damaged infrastructure and displaced thousands of residents.
By the early morning of Feb. 7, Pagasa reported Basyang had weakened into a low-pressure area and was moving westward over the Sulu Sea, though heavy rainbands and showers continued to affect portions of the Visayas and nearby regions.