TWO weeks after typhoon Tino struck, thick mud and debris-filled waterways are stalling search and retrieval operations for 44 people still missing across Cebu.
Why it matters: Time is running out. Conditions have deteriorated to the point where K-9 units can no longer detect scent traces, and responders face hazardous, unstable riverbanks.
By the numbers: As of 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) reported:
108 fatalities.
1,365 injured.
44 missing (unchanged since Thursday, Nov. 13).
PDRRMO head Dennis Pastor says victims are likely buried deep in river silt or were swept out to sea.
The Province is augmenting local efforts with personnel and equipment, but operations remain difficult due to landslide debris.
Who calls it off: The decision to terminate search operations rests solely with local government units (LGUs), not the provincial disaster office, according to Pastor.
The protocol: LGUs must exhaust all measures before declaring individuals “missing and presumed dead.”
Current status: No LGU has officially ended its search operations yet.
The bottom line: Retrieval teams continue to operate, but detection is becoming nearly impossible as the days pass. / CDF