The death toll in Canlaon City has risen to 16, with 11 others still missing, after Typhoon Tino unleashed torrential rains and flash floods that battered the city on November 3.
The rain began on the evening of November 2, but by noontime on November 3, Tino intensified. Rivers overflowed, bridges collapsed, and mudslides tore through communities at the foot of Mount Kanlaon.
In the aftermath, rescuers discovered bodies buried beneath thick mud and massive boulders, debris carried by the raging currents from the mountain streams. Streets in the city proper became rivers of soil and stone, swallowing homes in seconds.
‘It happened so fast,’ said a resident of Barangay Malaiba, who survived by clinging to a fallen tree. ‘We only heard the rumbling, and then the flood was already inside our house.’ Search and rescue operations continue, with local responders and volunteers working day and night amid unstable terrain and ongoing rains.
Mayor Batchuk Cardenas confirmed that the city remains under a state of calamity, emphasizing that teams are prioritizing the retrieval of the missing and the clearing of critical roads and waterways.
‘Even at night, work continues to ensure everyone’s safety,’ he said in a statement, assuring residents that clearing and desilting operations are underway at full speed.
As of Thursday, communication lines in many barangays remain intermittent, and electric power is still down. Immediate needs, according to city officials, include potable water, food packs, and temporary shelters for displaced families.
Meanwhile, the Office of the President has pledged P10 million in direct aid to support Canlaon’s recovery, while private groups have begun organizing online and on-site relief missions.
Despite the loss and devastation, signs of solidarity shine through. Community kitchens have emerged in evacuation centers; residents share food, charge devices using generators, and offer comfort to those still searching for loved ones.
In the words of a local rescuer, wiping mud from his uniform after a long day:
‘It’s hard, but we will not stop. Until we find them all.’ Canlaon, still shrouded in silence and grief, now braces for another approaching typhoon. Its people, bruised but unbroken, continue to dig not only through the rubble but through the ache of loss, hoping that healing will emerge from the disaster.