Rising floodwaters from converging sea tides, swollen riverways, and mountain runoff disrupted classes and submerged homes around Mayor A.S. Fortuna Memorial Elementary School in Barangay Guizo, Mandaue City, on Friday, July 31, 2026.
Physical facilities coordinator Moises Menderico stated that administrators pulled students out early during the morning as water rapidly rose across the low-lying campus and river levels reached the road.
Affected parents and long-term residents reported immense stress from sudden dismissals and ruined household items, appealing to the mayor to implement lasting infrastructure and drainage solutions.
RISING, persistent floodwaters disrupted learning and inundated homes surrounding Mayor A.S. Fortuna Memorial Elementary School in Barangay Guizo, Mandaue City, on Friday, July 31, 2026, leaving school administrators scrambling to safeguard pupils and forcing exasperated residents to flee their homes.
The disaster underscores the escalating vulnerability of the low-lying community, where converging sea tides, swollen riverways, and mountain runoff regularly submerge classrooms and local households.
Moises Menderico, the school’s physical facilities coordinator, said administrators were forced to pull students out during class hours as floodwaters rose rapidly across the campus on Friday morning.
While classes began normally, the swift influx of water made it unsafe to wait out the school day.
“Earlier, there were classes. But when we saw that the water level was starting to rise, we decided to pull out the students before classes even officially started,” Menderico said. “Usually, those on the ground floor are the first to be affected. We had to ensure that even young children whose parents weren’t around yet were safely released.”
Menderico explained that the recurring problem stems from a combination of geography and natural forces.
“The water usually goes straight, but when the rising tide from the sea meets the water flowing down, it surges heavily,” Menderico said. “The area near Mayor A.S. Fortuna Memorial Elementary School is really in a low-lying zone. Water accumulates here from the river, and because the river has reached the same level as the road, it overflows. The land is low, water collects, and runoff comes down from the mountain as well.”
Parental ordeal
For parents, the abrupt suspensions and dangerous road conditions have turned daily school runs into a high-stress ordeal.
Jessie Villegas, a motorcycle ride-hailing driver who rushed to the school to pick up his Grade 5 child, described the frustration faced by families navigating the flooded neighborhood.
“It’s really stressful when they are let out early,” Villegas said. “I was able to pick up my child because their teacher called to say the water was getting deep again. That’s really the situation at the school—it floods terribly. The water easily rises because it comes from the river.”
Villegas added that the problem has become a constant burden for working parents who must drop everything at a moment’s notice.
“Yesterday, I couldn’t pick him up because I was driving for Move It and it was hard to cancel my rides,” Villegas said. “It was just good timing today that I managed to come.”
Beyond the school walls, the flooding has severely impacted nearby residents, leaving them to deal with inundated homes and ruined belongings long after the rains stop.
A long-time resident living near the school grounds said floodwaters submerged the lower level of her home, destroying household items and preventing immediate cleanup.
“You can’t even clean up because the floodwaters don’t recede easily,” the resident said. “The floodwaters were just too massive. Only the upstairs stayed dry. Downstairs, all four of us living there got soaked.”
She added that the flooding has worsened significantly over time, forcing her family to seek temporary shelter at her child’s house.
“It used to flood here before, but never quite like this; it’s much worse now. We are appealing to the mayor to help us here and find a lasting solution to this flooding.”
Local residents and parents continue to urge municipal authorities to implement long-term drainage solutions and infrastructure improvements to prevent the community from being continuously submerged by incoming tides and river overflows. / ABC