Thousands isolated as Marcos visits typhoon-hit Negros

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD CITY — Thousands of residents in Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental remain isolated after Typhoon Tino washed out bridges and critical access routes, prompting President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to personally visit the hardest-hit towns of Moises Padilla and La Castellana over the weekend.

The president led a situational briefing with Cabinet secretaries, national agencies, and local chief executives to assess the extensive damage and coordinate immediate rehabilitation efforts.

Moises Padilla Mayor Ella Garcia-Yulo said President Marcos assured them of support, saying, “Mabulig siya” (he will help).

He visited Jose Pepito National High School and the stockyard in Barangay 1 — two of the most devastated areas — where he spoke with a young survivor who witnessed both parents and a sibling being swept away by floodwaters.

Mayor Yulo told reporters Saturday, after the president visited her town, that thousands of residents in the barangays of Inolingan, Quintin Remo, and Macagahay remain cut off after major footbridges were washed away by flash floods.

These areas, among the largest barangays in Moises Padilla, rely heavily on footbridges as their only access to the town proper.

Residents have turned to bayanihan, constructing makeshift bamboo bridges and using rafts as temporary crossings. In Quintin Remo — home to thousands — people cannot cross when it rains and must use rafts that can even carry motorcycles, she said.

“Para kami nagbalik sa ’80s kag ’90s — kawayan ang ginahimo nga taytay. These barangays are struggling to return to normalcy,” the mayor added.

She also said she cannot determine a recovery timeline, noting this is the worst damage the town has ever experienced.

Mayor Yulo said she has asked the Department of Education and private schools to delay the resumption of classes, citing the severe trauma experienced by families and the fact that many teachers are also victims whose homes were filled with mud.

A decision on when classes will resume is expected after next week’s meeting.

Moises Padilla reported 362 washed-out houses and 500 totally damaged homes.

Mayor Yulo is requesting a separate “washed-out” category from the Department of Social Welfare and Development because these families can no longer rebuild in the same areas, which are now declared no-build zones.

The local government unit is eyeing three relocation sites — in Inolingan, Quintin Remo, and Magallon Cadre — while evaluating another potential location pending negotiations with the landowner.

The town has recorded 14 confirmed deaths, 18 missing persons, and one unidentified fatality, referred to as Mr. X.

Yulo said she has sought guidance from the Department of the Interior and Local Government for the body’s proper disposal due to health risks.

In a related case, she confirmed that a recovered child fatality in Guimaras is part of a family of nine, with seven still missing.

The total fatalities, including Mr. X, have reached 15.

La Castellana Vice Mayor Rhummyla Nicor-Mangilimutan said the president released PHP 45 million in immediate assistance for typhoon-hit local government units:

PHP 10 million – La Castellana
PHP 10 million – Moises Padilla
PHP 5 million each – Binalbagan, Isabela, Hinigaran

This is on top of the PHP 50 million earlier allocated to the province for relief and rehabilitation.

Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson confirmed the amount is already in the provincial treasury.

He said the province is finalizing plans for the PHP 50 million allocation as cleanup, repairs, and humanitarian support continue across affected areas, including Moises Padilla, La Castellana, and Canlaon — among the worst hit by Typhoon Tino.