Floods swamp 40 Iloilo City barangays, Antique towns

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

At least 40 barangays in Iloilo City and several communities in Antique were inundated on Friday, July 24, as continuous rains from the southwest monsoon, or habagat, enhanced by Tropical Cyclone Kiyapo, triggered widespread flooding, evacuations, and class suspensions across Western Visayas.

The habagat is the seasonal southwest monsoon that brings sustained rain to the western side of the Philippines from roughly June through September.

Its effects are routinely amplified when a tropical cyclone passes near or over the country, because the storm’s circulation pulls in a deeper stream of moisture‑laden air from the West Philippine Sea.

In Iloilo City, flooding affected 40 barangays across all seven districts, with Molo recording the highest number at 12, followed by La Paz with eight, City Proper with six, Mandurriao with six, Lapuz with three, Jaro with three, and Arevalo with two.

Floodwaters ranged from 2 inches to as high as 37 inches, or about 5 to 94 centimeters, with some areas reaching waist‑deep.

Among the deepest flooding reported were Taft North in Mandurriao at 35 to 37 inches, Don Esteban in Lapuz at 36 inches, and parts of Divinigracia in La Paz, where floodwaters reached up to 30 inches.

The city government said 109 families, or 435 individuals, were evacuated as floodwaters continued to rise.

Of that number, 52 families comprising 156 individuals were temporarily sheltered in evacuation centers.

As of 2 p.m., evacuation centers were accommodating residents from Barangays Calubihan and San Vicente in Jaro, Barangays San Antonio and Infante in Molo, Barangay Don Esteban in Lapuz, and Barangay Ticud in La Paz.

The Iloilo City Emergency Operations Center was placed under blue alert status on Thursday afternoon, a readiness level that requires responders to be on standby and operations staff to maintain continuous monitoring.

Sharry Ledesma, local disaster risk reduction and management officer III of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said disaster officials had already identified vulnerable communities during the city’s pre‑disaster risk assessment, conducted a day before the heavy rains intensified.

She said all coastal, low‑lying, and flood‑prone barangays were instructed to activate localized safety protocols and prepare for possible flooding ahead of the expected peak of the weather disturbance from Friday to Saturday.

Barangay disaster risk reduction and management councils were also directed to undertake preemptive evacuations whenever necessary.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration forecast 50 to 100 millimeters of rainfall over Aklan, Antique, Iloilo, Guimaras, and Negros Occidental between Friday noon and Saturday noon.

PAGASA warned that localized flooding and rain‑induced landslides remain possible, especially in vulnerable communities.

Several areas were under a red rainfall warning as of Friday afternoon, the highest tier in the agency’s three‑level system and an advisory that treats serious flooding as an active threat rather than a possibility.

The warning covers the entire province of Guimaras; the municipalities of Hamtic, Tobias Fornier, and Anini‑y in Antique; San Joaquin, Miagao, Guimbal, Tigbauan, Oton, Dumangas, Zarraga, and Leganes in Iloilo province; Iloilo City; and the towns of Hinoba‑an, Candoni, Cauayan, and Ilog, and the cities of Sipalay and Kabankalan in Negros Occidental.

Ledesma warned that continuous rainfall could further aggravate flooding in the city.

“It is possible that the flooding will worsen if the rains continue. That is why we are closely monitoring all barangays to identify areas where floodwaters may rise so we can immediately undertake appropriate actions,” she said.

She urged residents to remain alert, monitor weather advisories issued by government agencies, and immediately report rising floodwaters to authorities.

“If possible, don’t wait for the water to rise before leaving. Evacuating early helps prevent incidents that could otherwise be avoided,” she said.

Flooding is a recurring hazard for the city, which sits on low, flat ground drained by the Jaro, Aganan, and Tigum rivers and is exposed to tidal backflow along the Iloilo River.

A flood control project completed in the past decade with Japanese development assistance built a floodway intended to divert river discharge away from the urban core, but sustained monsoon rainfall combined with high tide continues to overwhelm drainage in the lowest‑lying barangays.

Antique also hit by floods

In neighboring Antique, continuous heavy rains flooded Barangay Calala and the boundary of Barangays Calacja I and Aldea in Hamtic.

Rescue responders on Friday transferred passengers to a rescue truck to bring them to safety after the bus they were riding became stuck in a roadside canal submerged by floodwaters.

Authorities also used lifeboats to ferry motorcycles across a flooded section of the national highway in Hamtic after deep floodwaters made the road impassable to light vehicles.

The Antique Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council advised motorists to avoid the Iloilo‑Antique Road via Bukid because of the threat of additional rain‑induced landslides, and to use the Iloilo‑Antique Coastal Road as an alternate route.

The Philippine Coast Guard Station Antique also rescued 10 individuals trapped inside their residence in Barangay Funda, Hamtic, after rising floodwaters surrounded their home.