AT LEAST 11 flood-prone areas in Cebu City were inundated after heavy rains brought by the southwest monsoon (habagat) hit the city on Wednesday afternoon, July 22, 2026, exposing long-standing drainage and waterway problems.
City Councilor Dave Tumulak, chairman of the Cebu City Council Committee on Disaster, identified the affected areas as Barangays Kinasang-an, Calamba, Tisa, Tinago, Tejero, Basak Pardo, Mambaling, Capitol Site and Lahug, along with portions of N. Bacalso Ave. and Sanciangko St.
In separate phone interviews on Thursday, July 23, officials from Guadalupe, Tejero and Kinasang-an cited clogged waterways, shallow creeks, inadequate drainage and the natural topography of their communities as the main causes of the flooding.
Guadalupe officials said garbage clogged Guadalajara Creek, causing floodwaters to back up into nearby homes.
In Tejero, officials blamed accumulated sediment in Tejero Creek for restricting runoff from upland areas during heavy rains. They urged the City Government to dredge the creek.
Kinasang-an officials said their low-lying community serves as a natural catch basin for floodwaters from neighboring areas. They added that narrow drainage outlets slowed the recession of floodwaters.
No residents were evacuated, and floodwaters had subsided by Thursday morning. Barangay crews immediately began cleanup and declogging operations.
Tumulak said city agencies continue to monitor flood-prone areas while the southwest monsoon remains active.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) warned that scattered rain showers and thunderstorms will continue over Cebu and the rest of Central Visayas, with possible flooding and landslides due to moderate to, at times, heavy rains. (CAV/With Gervie Paluga, UP Cebu intern)