Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

As Typhoon Uwan (international name: Fung-Wong) made landfall on the evening of Sunday, Nov. 9, its strong winds and intense rain brought damage to the province of Isabela, which is still reeling from the devastation left by Typhoon Paolo (international name: Matmo) last month.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) initially said that the typhoon could hit southern Isabela, but while Uwan made landfall over Dinalungan, Aurora, its strength did not spare the province, which was placed on Signal No. 4.

Based on the latest data from the provincial government, 4,850 households or 14,553 individuals have been evacuated as of 5 p.m., while all overflow bridges-Cabagan-Sta. Maria, Gucab and Annafunan, Baculud and Cabisera 8, Alicaocao, Masaya Sur, and Turod Banquero-were rendered impassable.

As the Provincial Information Office said, road clearing operations have started as early as 1 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 10, ‘to ensure safe passage for motorists and residents.’ The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office is leading the road clearing efforts.

The Magat Dam, meanwhile, has opened seven spillway gates at 22 meters, with the spillway discharge recorded at 4,193 cubic meters.

As it faced the country’s first Signal No. 5 since October last year, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) temporarily shut down flights at seven airports in the Bicol Region, where Supertyphoon ‘Uwan’ (international name: Fung-wong) is expected to make landfall.

For the same reason, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported that 6,607 individuals, including passengers, crew, and cargo staff, were stranded across 86 ports nationwide on Monday morning.

According to Caap, operations in the following airports have been suspended since 4 a.m.: Bicol International Airport, Daraga, Albay; Naga Airport, Camarines Sur; Virac Airport, Catanduanes; Masbate Airport, Masbate; Daet Airport, Camarines Norte; Bulan Airport, Sorsogon; Bacon Airport, Sorsogon.

Caap said the airport operations will remain under suspension until 8 p.m. on Sunday. But they may remain suspended depending on ‘prevailing weather conditions and on-site safety assessments.’

Nationwide, Caap recorded 389 canceled flights until Nov. 10 due to the anticipated and preexisting impacts of Supertyphoon Uwan.

Life-threatening

Because of Uwan, most of the Bicol Region has been experiencing strong typhoon-force winds of over 185 kilometers per hour (kph), with possible life-threatening effects, according to the state weather bureau.

State meteorologists said Uwan was packing maximum sustained winds of 185 kph and gusts of up to 230 kph when it was last spotted over the coastal waters of Pandan, Catanduanes.

Amid the onslaught of Supertyphoon Uwan, 6,607 individuals, including passengers, crew, and cargo staff, are stranded across 86 ports nationwide on Monday morning, the PCG reported.

From 12 a.m. to 4 a.m. on Monday, the PCG also recorded a total of 3,161 rolling cargos, 83 vessels, and 22 motorbancas stranded, while 408 vessels and 304 motorbancas are taking shelter. INQ

Due to the effects of Typhoon Uwan (international name: Fung-Wong), 7,213 passengers, truck drivers, and cargo staff remain stranded on Monday morning across 156 ports in 10 regions, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

Also stranded in the ports are 3,663 rolling cargoes, 171 vessels, and 28 motorbancas, while 541 boats and 185 motorbancas are taking shelter, the PCG reported at 9:40 a.m.

According to the PCG, the highest number of stranded passengers is in the Bicol Region, accounting for 2,590 individuals. Also stranded in Bicol Region ports are 1,145 rolling cargoes, and six vessels, while 28 ships and 15 motorbancas are taking shelter in the ports listed below:

Pioduran Port

Pasacao Port

Manaogan Fish Port

Virac Port

San Andres Port

Aroroy Port

Masbate Port

Mobo Port

Cataingan Port

Mintac Port

Cawayan Port

San Jacinto Port

San Fernando Port

Lagundi Port

San Pascual Port

Matnog Port

Pilar Port

Castilla Port

Another 995 individuals are stranded in the following ports in Western Visayas, along with 426 rolling cargoes, and 19 vessels, while taking shelter are 33 vessels and four motorbancas:

Arastre Port

Lapuz Port

Parola Port

Iloilo Port

Dumangas Port

Bay’ang Port

Concepcion Port

Alegria Port

Dumaguit Port

Caticlan Port

Culasi Port

Rizal Wharf

Pinagpala Port

Stranded in the following Central Visayas ports are 991 individuals, 431 rolling cargoes, 57 vessels, and eight motorbancas, on top of 90 ships and 44 motorbancas taking shelter:

Polambato Port

Carmen Port

New Roro Port

Kawit Port

Hagnaya Port

Gerona Port

Taloot Port

Tangil Port

Moalboal Port

Mainit Port

Liloan Port

Pier 3 Cebu City

Pier 1 Cebu City

Labogon, Mandaue

San Fernando Anchorage Area

Lapu Lapu

Olango

Cordova

South Harbor Cebu

Toledo Port

Ubay Port

Popo Port

Municipal Fish Port

Duero Port

Pilar Port

Hagutapay Port

The ports in Eastern Visayas are also housing stranded passengers and assets. The PCG recorded 947 people, 794 rolling cargoes, a vessel, and six motorbancas stranded, and 26 vessels and 29 motorbancas taking shelter at the following ports:

Sta. Clara Port

Dapdap Port

Looc Port

Guiuan Port

Maripipi Port, Maripipi Biliran

Ormoc Port

Isabel Roro Port

Port Of Tacloban

Calubian Port

Babatngon Port

Port of San Juan

Port of Benit

Port of Sogod

Port of Liloan

Magallanes/Triana Port

Port of Padre Burgos

Port of Bernard

Catbalogan Port

Amandayehan Port/ San Antonio Port

Southern Tagalog Ports are also accommodating 721 individuals, 276 rolling cargoes, and 14 motorbancas stranded, while 179 vessels and 62 motorbancas are taking shelter. The ports are as follows:

Arastre Port

Lapuz Port

Parola Port

Iloilo Port

Dumangas Port

Bay’ang Port

Concepcion Port

Alegria Port

Dumaguit Port

Caticlan Port

Culasi Port

Rizal Wharf

Pinagpala Port

The PCG added that eight ports in Northern Mindanao are currently holding 577 individuals, 18 rolling cargoes, and four vessels, as well as 56 other ships taking shelter. The ports are listed below:

Cagayan de Oro Port

Port of Tagoloan

Ozamiz Port

Plaridel Port

Holcim Port

Port of El Salvador

Port of Lebertad

Port of Balingasag

Meanwhile, 12 ports in Southern Visayas are accommodating 279 individuals, 146 rolling cargoes, and 13 vessels, while also providing shelter to 28 ships and 10 motorbancas. The ports are as follows:

Danao Port

Cadiz City Commercial Port

Port of San Carlos

BREDCO Port

Sibulan Port

Siaton Port

Amlan Port

Ayungon Port

Port of Sibulan

Port of Larena

Poblacion Port

Port of Maria

Central Luzon’s Northport Passenger Terminal, Unlad Pier, and AFAB Port also have 75 individuals, 22 rolling cargoes, and six vessels stranded, alongside 40 boats and 14 motorbancas taking shelter, the PCG said.

The Lipata Port, Port of Nasipit, and Port of N. Sering in Northeastern Mindanao recorded 29 individuals, 405 rolling cargoes, and 15 vessels stranded, while 50 boats are taking shelter.

In Southwestern Mindanao, nine people and 50 vessels are stranded, while 11 boats and seven motorbancas are taking shelter in these ports:

Port of Zamboanga

Sangali Fish Port

Galas Feeder Port

Dapitan Port

Isabela Port

Travelling via water has been advised against after tropical cyclone wind signals as high as Signal No. 4 were hoisted in parts of Luzon and Visayas due to the typhoon.

Metro Manila has so far avoided significant flooding despite the intense rainfall brought by Typhoon Uwan (international name: Fung-wong), the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said Monday.

‘No major flood incident in the National Capital Region (NCR) was reported in the Emergency Operation Center,’ the MMDA said in a Facebook post.

‘Sharing wrong information could cause confusion and panic among the public,’ it added.

The MMDA made the clarification following some videos circulating on social media that showed several flooded streets in Metro Manila, which the agency said were old footage.

Metro Manila remains under a yellow rainfall warning, indicating that flooding is possible in flood-prone areas, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

As of 5:00 a.m., Pagasa said Metro Manila remains under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 2.

Uwan weakened as it crossed Luzon’s landmass while moving west-northwest at 25 kilometers per hour (kph), packing maximum sustained winds of 150 kph and gustiness of 230 kph, according to state meteorologists.

Two deaths and two injuries have been reported so far due to Uwan, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

Almost 1 million people across Luzon and the Visayas were preemptively evacuated as Super Typhoon Uwan (international name: Fung-wong), whose 1,800-kilometer reach spanned almost the entire Philippines, continued to pose ‘life-threatening’ effects, authorities said on Sunday.

Six areas in Luzon were placed under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 5, based on the latest typhoon bulletin of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa). They are the southern portion of Quirino, the southeastern portion of Nueva Vizcaya, the northeastern portion of Nueva Ecija, the central portion of Aurora, and the Polillo Islands.

The typhoon also claimed two fatalities, according to initial reports, including those by the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office. A 64-year-old woman named Faye of Catbalogan City, Samar, died on Sunday morning after she was pinned by debris from her house, and a villager drowned in flash floods in the island province of Catanduanes.

Samar was among the localities in Eastern Visayas that lost power and communication due to Uwan before noon on Sunday.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Philippine National Police reminded the public on Sunday that local government units and the police may enforce mandatory evacuations of residents who refuse to leave high-risk areas.

‘All means of persuasion must be used to convince residents to move to safer ground. Explain clearly that evacuation is a measure to protect lives, not to take away their rights or property,’ the DILG and PNP’s joint statement read.

‘Ensure that transportation, shelter, food, and medical aid are ready for evacuees, with priority for the elderly, children, and persons with disabilities,’ it continued.

The two agencies called on local authorities to ‘act quickly and humanely’ to prevent casualties during the supertyphoon’s onslaught.

The Catholic Church has also mobilized its parishes and institutions across Metro Manila and the Bicol Region to serve as temporary shelters for those displaced.

In separate announcements on Sunday, the Archdiocese of Manila, Archdiocese of Caceres, Diocese of Kalookan, and Diocese of Virac directed all parishes, schools, and church facilities under their jurisdictions to open their doors to evacuees.

Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Deputy Administrator Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said, as of 11 a.m. on Sunday, a total of 916,863 individuals, equivalent to 270,682 families, were evacuated in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Metro Manila, Bicol Region, and the Visayas.

The highest number of evacuees was recorded in the Bicol Region with 660,720 individuals, or 192,765 families, Alejandro said.

This was followed by Eastern Visayas with 112,760 individual evacuees, or 32,020 families; and Calabarzon with 74,388 individuals, or 24,209 families.

The OCD also said over 50,000 personnel were on standby for search-and-rescue operations from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, the Philippine Coast Guard, the Bureau of Fire Protection, and the Reactionary Standby Support Force.

Massive floods

As early as noon on Sunday, the island-province of Catanduanes in Bicol, where the typhoon passed closely, reported massive floods, particularly in Pandan town, and downed power and communication lines. Many roads in the province were also rendered impassable.

Flooding was also reported along coastal roads in Zambales at noon on Sunday as seawater was whipped by strong winds.

The prohibition on sea travel stranded hundreds of passengers and vehicles in the ports of Masbate, Albay, Sorsogon, Samar, Camarines Sur, Quezon, Marinduque, and the Mindoro provinces.

Areas as far as Zamboanga City also reported the evacuation of 1,290 families, or 4,047 individuals, from several barangays submerged in water, the Zamboanga City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office told the Inquirer.

Landfall

The number of evacuees was expected to go up as Uwan continued to bring rain and strong winds. According to Pagasa, it was last spotted 110 km north of Daet, Camarines Norte, or 150 km east-northeast of Infanta, Quezon, while moving west-northwestward at 30 km per hour (kph). It carried maximum sustained winds of 185 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 230 kph.

Pagasa said Uwan was projected to continue moving west-northwestward for the next 24 hours, passing close to the Polillo Islands before making landfall over the central portion of Aurora on Sunday night or early Monday morning.

‘Due to its proximity and the size of its eyewall, a direct hit (i.e., eyewall affecting the area without making landfall) over Calaguas and Polillo Islands is likely,’ Pagasa said.

After making landfall, Uwan was expected to traverse over northern Luzon before emerging over the Lingayen Gulf or the coastal waters of Pangasinan or La Union by Monday morning.

‘The interaction with the terrain will cause Uwan to weaken significantly, but it is expected to remain as a typhoon throughout its passage over northern Luzon,’ Pagasa said

The police in Luzon and the Visayas will remain on alert for rescue operations in the wake of Typhoon Uwan (international name: Fung-wong), the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Monday.

Uwan whipped many parts of Luzon over the weekend, leaving at least two individuals dead, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

‘All PNP field units in the entire Luzon and Visayas will remain on alert to ensure that evacuation and rescue operations are conducted safely and efficiently,’ acting PNP chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said in a statement.

‘One of the main priorities right now. is the road clearing operations in order to ensure the smooth movement of relief goods and equipment in areas severely affected by the weather disturbance,’ he added.

Nartatez said that at least 25,878 police officers were deployed across the country to help in efforts to respond to the typhoon’s onslaught, including around 2,100 officeral to secure evacuation centers.

Nartatez added that an additional 13,190 Reactionary Standby Support Force personnel and 1,219 police vehicles and equipment were ready to be deployed.

Uwan was last spotted 125 kilometers (km) west-northwest of Bacnotan, La Union at 7 a.m. on Monday, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration’s (Pagasa) latest update.

The typhoon was packing maximum sustained winds of up to 150 km per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 185 kph while moving west-northwest at 20 kph.

In the devastating aftermath of Typhoon ‘Tino,’ at least 204 people have been confirmed dead, while over a hundred more are still missing. One of the most heartbreaking stories was that of a six-month-old girl swept away by the flash flood. The image of her lifeless body has since gone viral with a clarion call to hold public officials accountable for flood control projects that never materialized. ‘This is how corruption kills. Remember her name,’ read the posts urging people to vote wisely next time.

But when I visited the Facebook page of the baby’s aunt, I found a different story. Amid several grieving posts were photos from the funeral. Beside the tiny white coffin were two enormous floral wreaths wrapped with a ribbon sash bearing the names of two of the country’s top-ranking government officials. In the caption, the aunt thanked everyone who donated money for her niece’s funeral, ‘especially to all the politicians.’

This is the quiet power of padrino politics. For many families like theirs, political concerns do not necessarily center on good governance issues. Online, people are angry, and use pictures of typhoon victims to demand justice and reform. But for many families on the ground, it is about who shows up for them in moments of death and dire need. And in the next elections, it will most likely be this gesture of kindness that the family will remember, rather than the online posts claiming that the country deserves better.

Politicians understand this dynamic all too well. In moments of crisis, compassion often becomes a campaigning tool to secure voter support and consolidate power. A friend from Cebu shared how one official prioritized handing out relief goods stamped with their face rather than clearing the roads, leaving certain areas impassable for days and littered with animal carcasses. Rather than treating basic assistance as part of their duty, many politicians use it as an opportunity to foster a sense of indebtedness among their constituents through utang na loob. In turn, beneficiaries feel morally obliged to support the politician who helped them, thereby strengthening loyalty and political alliances. The very people who were failed by the system are the ones who end up sustaining it.

Unfortunately, there are those who, amid the tragedy, chose to respond with moral superiority, declaring that the poor got what they deserve for electing the wrong leaders and faulting them for their supposed shortsightedness and lack of discernment. But in a country where one’s ability to overcome urgent situations is contingent on whose ‘kindness’ one can count on, the sustained reliance on a padrino is in fact a rational and pragmatic survival strategy.

The problem is not that the ordinary voter can’t think long-term; it’s that they feel they have no reliable alternative but to rely on the immediate material security that a padrino provides. So long as the state cannot provide reliable social safety nets such as universal health care, efficient disaster response, and accessible justice systems, patronage networks will always inevitably fill those gaps. An informal economy of favors and loyalty will persist, enabling an easily corruptible and distorted substitute for genuine governance. The question now is, if the current system serves the incumbent, what would be the motivation for them to change?

History shows that even the most entrenched systems eventually bend under pressure. Patronage politics cannot be dismantled overnight, but cracks begin to emerge when the risks of maintaining the system outweigh the political gains. For instance, when corruption and systemic neglect lead to widespread suffering-as we often see in the aftermath of natural disasters-incumbents are forced into action. Faced with growing dissent and eroding legitimacy, some are compelled to introduce reforms, not necessarily out of virtue or newfound moral conscience, but as a calculated move for continued political survival. In recent months, we have seen how powerful public anger can be in forcing government officials to pay attention. Rather than dissipating our focus by blaming the voters, civil society and media must continue to track every unbuilt flood control project and shady construction contract, to demand accountability and justice, and prevent the news cycle from simply moving on.

In the same way, rather than faulting people for accepting aid and money from politicians, our collective anger should be directed at exposing the illusion of generosity embedded in political patronage and the exploitative cycle it sustains. True public service prevents suffering; it does not merely offer superficial consolation after the fact. A six-month-old’s death should not be a prop in anyone’s political campaign. We cannot allow ourselves to remain a nation where the same corrupt hands that failed to protect us are the first ones we thank when we bury our dead.

Robinsons Land Corp.’s profit in the first nine months inched up by 2 percent to P10.17 billion on the steady growth of its investment properties.

Excluding its one-time gain from the reclassification of its GoTyme investment last year, attributable net income climbed 10 percent year-on-year.

For the third quarter alone, net income went up by 19.5 percent to P3.30 billion from P2.76 billion.

The group’s consolidated revenues in the January to September period generated P35.61 billion, up 13 percent from last year’s P31.42 billion.

Its investment portfolio-composed of malls, offices, hotels, and warehouse segments-also grew by 9 percent.

‘Our performance this quarter underscores the strength and resilience of our core businesses. Despite a more competitive environment and strategic reinvestments, we sustained healthy profitability and expanded our revenue base,’ RLC president and chief executive officer Mybelle Aragon-GoBio.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is establishing an office within the agency to ensure the timely and efficient completion of a P27.7-billion program to build bridges for farms.

The DA issued Department Order No. 20, creating the project management office (PMO) for its Farm-to-Market Bridges Development Program (FMBDP). This is aimed at significantly improving rural infrastructure and agricultural logistics.

The project is financed through official development assistanc from the French government. Of the total amount, P22.15 billion will come from the French government, and the remaining P5.54 billion from the Philippine government.

The Economy and Development Council, chaired by President Marcos, approved the FMBDP early this year. It entails the construction of 300 modular steel panel bridges strategically located across 52 provinces across 15 regions in the country.

The initiative will be implemented in areas with high agricultural potential but limited road access. It is intended to enhance connectivity along farm-to-market roads and link farming communities to economic centers.

Based on the DA order, the PMO will ensure focused leadership, strategic coordination, efficient resource allocation and the FMBDP’s successful implementation.

To achieve this objective, the PMO will oversee the effective and efficient completion of the FMBDP. INQ

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has issued Executive Order (EO) No. 105, which will adopt a flexible tariff rate on rice imports next year, ranging from 15 percent to 35 percent, depending on the world market prices of the food staple.

Signed on Nov. 7 and released by Malacañang on Sunday, EO 105 creates the Inter-Agency Group on Rice Tariff Adjustment (IAGRTA) to formulate the guidelines on the increase or decrease in the tariffs imposed on imported rice.

Along with Marcos’ previous EO 102, which extends the suspension on the importation of regular- and well-milled rice until the end of 2025, the flexible tariff scheme is seen to ensure stable palay prices to benefit farmers and retail costs for consumers, as well as allow enough buffer stock until the next harvest season.

The new policy, which takes effect in January 2026, was recommended by the administration’s tariff and related matters committee and approved on Nov. 4 by the Economic and Development Council, formerly known as the National Economic and Development Authority Board, which the President chairs.

Welfare of farmers, consumers

The government expects the flexible tariff policy to function as an automatic stabilizing mechanism for the rice sector.

When world market prices of rice are high, the tariff will be set at a lower rate close to 15 percent to encourage more imports to help keep domestic supply stable and thus temper local retail prices.

The tariff will be set at a higher rate, closer to 35 percent, when world market prices are low to discourage cheap imports that could flood the market and depress the farm-gate prices received by local farmers.

The government hopes the policy will strike a balance between consumer welfare and farmer protection.

Guidelines

Under EO 105, the current 15-percent import duty on rice will be maintained until Dec. 31.

But starting on Jan. 1, 2026, the tariff for imported rice will be increased by 5 percentage points for every 5-percent decrease in international rice prices, or lowered by 5 percentage points for every 5-percent jump in world rice prices.

The tariff imposed on imported rice will in no case drop below 15 percent or rise above 35 percent.

IAGRTA will formulate the guidelines, such as the determination of thresholds, certification that such thresholds or trigger price levels have been reached, a monitoring period, and other relevant details regarding the import duty on rice.

The group will be composed of representatives from the Department of Economy, Planning and Development, the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Finance, and the Office of the Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs.

EO 105 amends EO 62, issued by Marcos in June 2024, which slashed rice tariffs from 35 percent to 15 percent until 2028 to help tame rice retail prices and slow food inflation.

Under the previous EO, tariffs on imported rice were subject to a review every four months.

The DA’s technical working group has until Dec. 15 to determine ‘the right tariff’ to be implemented by Jan. 1, 2026, when rice imports resume.