THE disaster chief of Talisay City has said that deaths could have been avoided had there been no families living within danger zones, specifically along the riverbanks and dried-up riverbeds of the Mananga River.
Typhoon Tino, known internationally as Kalmaegi, struck Cebu on Tuesday morning, Nov. 4, 2025, unleashing what the state weather bureau Pagasa called two months’ worth of rain in just three hours. The catastrophic deluge caused the river to swell into a violent torrent, overflowing its banks and sending flash floods through residential areas. The storm left seven people dead, six injured and hundreds of families displaced, their homes washed away.
As residents grapple with the loss of their loved ones and possessions, the disaster has exposed a critical and long-festering problem: Why were so many people living in harm’s way, and where can they possibly go now?
A devastating human toll
The aftermath of the typhoon revealed scenes of total destruction. In Sitio Isla Verde, Barangay San Isidro, resident Crisostomo Alejado said the area was “mostly left in ruins.” He, his family and many of their neighbors lost everything. He added that his home and belongings were completely destroyed, forcing his family to sleep on pieces of plywood along the roadside.
In Purok Chicos, Barangay Lawaan 3, Eugenia Alcurin told SunStar Cebu that her home was also heavily affected. She said that while relief goods like rice and canned food had arrived, the urgent need was for construction materials to rebuild “a small and sturdy” home for her family.
The human cost was high. A situational report from the Cebu Province Risk Reduction Management Council on Saturday, Nov. 8, listed seven fatalities and six injuries in Talisay City alone.
One of those fatalities was Roldan Aguanta Navarro, 45, a construction worker from Sitio Paglaum, Barangay Dumlog. His body was found floating in the waters off Cordova on Thursday, Nov. 6. His sister, Gemma Navarro Gequillo, 48, confirmed his identity to police, explaining he went missing during the flood. A neighbor told her that when the Mananga River swelled, Roldan attempted to swim but was carried away by the strong current.
“People, not trees”
At an evacuation center on Friday, Nov. 7, City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office head Alvin Santillana gave a blunt assessment, speaking from his personal perspective and not for Mayor Gerald Anthony Gullas Jr.
“It’s not about the trees; it’s about the people living there (by) the river. Nganong nabutang man lagi sila dira? Mag-unsa man na ang kahoy dinha sa bukid kon nagbagyo ta? Bug-at kaayo ang ulan nga ninaog, moagi man gyud na sa sapa. Kon wala lang nay tawo dira sa sapa, wala tay nangaguba nga balay, walay mga nangamatay,” Santillana said.
(It’s not about the trees; it’s about the people living there (by) the river. Why were they even allowed to stay there? What can the trees in the mountains do when a typhoon hits? The rainfall was so heavy that the water naturally flowed down to the river. If there were no people living along the riverbanks, there would have been no destroyed houses and no lives lost.)
Santillana clarified that many residents were not just on the riverbank, which is the land alongside the river, but on the riverbed itself. He said erosion had deposited soil and mud, creating small “islets” where people had built homes. He stressed that these areas are part of the river’s natural waterway.
The relocation dilemma
The disaster also highlights a tragic cycle of poverty and risk. Evelyn Paraiso Tan, 40, was one of the evacuees. Her family had already lost their home in a fire in July and was relocated by the City Government to another spot in Barangay Lawaan 2, this time closer to the river.
“Gi-relocate mi ni Mayor Samsam, didto mi gi-relocate, same ra gihapon — maanod (Mayor Samsam relocated us there, but it’s still the same — we still get flooded),” Tan said. Now homeless again, she is appealing for materials to rebuild.
Santillana acknowledged the residents’ difficult position but also expressed frustration.
“I am not blaming anybody, it’s just that they should know where to build their houses... Moingon ra man sab sila nga, ‘Asa man mi nimo papuy-on, Sir?’ (They will just say, ‘Where will you have us live, sir?’). That’s not for me to answer, it’s supposed to be them kay sila may mamuyo, sila may mangita paagi asa sila mumuyo (because they are the ones who will live there, they should be the ones to find a way where to live),” he said.
The core of the problem, Santillana admitted, is that there is no clear answer to that question. When asked about relocation sites in Talisay, his response was stark: “Wala gani… walay (There’s none… there’s no) relocation. We don’t have enough lots.”
The road to recovery
Gullas said on Sunday, Nov. 9, that the City Government, with private sector help, is providing immediate relief, including food, water and medical aid. Doctors have been dispatched to affected barangays to offer consultations and distribute free medicines, including doxycycline and anti-tetanus shots, to prevent waterborne diseases like leptospirosis.
However, help for rebuilding homes will be delayed. Gullas said the City Social Welfare and Development Office is still compiling a master list of affected families, a process slowed by the fact that many did not use official evacuation centers.
“As to housing materials, we will address this once we (have) finalized the masterlist of affected families and subsequently, once the financial aid is released,” Gullias said. For hundreds of families like those of Alejado and Alcurin, the wait for a safe place to call home continues, overshadowed by the reality that there may be nowhere safe to build. / CDF, DPC, AYB