ONE month after typhoon Tino (Kalmaegi) battered Cebu, clearing operations and power restoration continue while thousands remain displaced.
Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office head Dennis Pastor said the Province works round-the-clock to restore normalcy. Electricity supply in the province has reached 95 percent restoration, with repairs concentrated in heavily affected villages.
Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival reported electricity in the city is restored at 99 percent. While Visayan Electric Company main lines are fully operational, several feeder lines require repairs.
Water service restoration varies. The Metropolitan Cebu Water District operates at 76 percent capacity. Its franchise area covers the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu and Talisay, and the towns of Consolacion, Liloan, Compostela and Cordova.
In Danao City, water is restored in 16 of 32 pumping stations, while Talisay City has all seven Lagtang wells operational. However, Tabogon has only 25 percent reactivation. Balamban has water in lowland areas, but rationing continues in upland communities due to pipeline damage.
Death toll
The typhoon left a trail of casualties across the province. The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported 96 dead, 1,836 injured and 43 missing. The highest fatalities occurred in Compostela, Liloan, Balamban and Danao City.
In Cebu City, Mary Jane Pulga, 53, recalled the flash flood that destroyed her home in Sitio Lower Common, Bacayan. The Butuanon River overflowed, killing 13 people in the area.
Pulga said the water rose within minutes. She, her husband and their son climbed a barbed-wire screen to escape. She saw neighbors carried away by the current, but the flood was too strong to help.
The family is rebuilding their house with a six-meter easement from the river. They received private relief goods but no cash aid. Pulga said the loss of their home still makes her cry, but she is grateful her family survived, saying belongings can be replaced but lives cannot.
Search for the missing
Local governments continue to search for the missing. In Cebu City, Councilor Dave Tumulak said the search for the city’s six remaining missing individuals continues.
“We never stopped this at all. We even reached Compostela, from Paril going toward Compostela. As long as the family asks for help, we will never stop,” Tumulak said.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government Cebu City will lead a citywide profiling operation on Dec. 17 to collect details from families of the missing. This aims to help validate identities if remains are recovered.
Tumulak cited an incident on Nov. 26 where two families claimed a body found in Compostela. Authorities confirmed the identity of the cadaver through a distinct ring found with the deceased.
He said the operations require clearing thick rubble and hauling heavy debris.
“Searching is not easy. But we understand the agony of the families. As long as they are asking for help, we will not stop,” he said.
Displacement and relocation
Housing remains a critical challenge. Pastor reported that around 14,000 individuals remain in 68 evacuation centers across the province.
In Cebu City, data from the Department of Social Welfare Services shows 11 active evacuation centers sheltering 286 families or 1,287 individuals.
Archival said the biggest bottleneck is finding safe land for relocation. He said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. instructed the City to clear danger zones and ensure families move to safer grounds.
“We are looking for land. Together with Gov. Pamela Baricuatro, we will go to Manila to request assistance in identifying and acquiring suitable sites,” Archival said.
The City has roughly P600 million to P700 million available from local funds, in addition to requests submitted to Malacañang for purchasing land for mid-rise housing.
Immediate shelter solutions are being implemented. Families in Talamban moved from schools to the Talamban Sports Complex, which has tents, showers and a communal kitchen. In Bacayan, however, terrain issues complicate efforts.
“City officials are still conducting a survey. The ground is tilted and this is the challenge. We need a stable, unified area so families can stay together,” Archival said.
In Talisay City, Mayor Gerald “Samsam” Gullas Jr. announced the transfer of victims to a temporary “tent city” in Barangay San Roque. The facility, set for completion on Friday, Dec. 5, will prioritize families whose homes were swept away. It features communal restrooms, water pumps and solar lights.
Clearing operations
In Villa del Rio subdivision in Bacayan, vehicles stacked on top of one another during the flood are being recovered. Kirby Llamera, a subdivision board director, said most vehicles have been pulled out.
Llamera said the disaster submerged several electric meters. As of Wednesday, Dec. 3, 51 percent of the subdivision’s electricity was restored.
Archival said the City will continue providing food and water while working toward stable relocation.
“We cannot call this full recovery yet, especially for those who lost their homes. But what’s important is that they are not being neglected,” Archival said.
Many residents continue to wait for stable shelter, reliable water and full restoration of services.
For families still searching for missing loved ones, the month-long aftermath has been marked by uncertainty and grief. Authorities say operations will continue until the last missing resident is found. / CDF, CAV, DPC, JCDV, ANV