Philippines under state of calamity

RACE AGAINST TIME. Army personnel carry the body of a missing person on a stretcher in the aftermath of ‘Tino’ during a retrieval operation in Liloan, Cebu. (Courtesy: Philippine Army)

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President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has placed the entire country under a state of national calamity following the severe devastation left by Typhoon “Tino,” which tore through several regions in the Visayas and Mimaropa, leaving extensive damage and multiple casualties.

“The damage is heavy,” President Marcos said in a post-briefing statement after meeting with officials of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

“When the scope of damage reaches about 10 to 12 regions, it’s really a national calamity… This (declaration) allows us to immediately provide assistance without going through the usual bureaucratic procedures,” he added.

“Tino” has killed at least 142 people and left another 127 missing after unleashing devastating flooding across the central Philippines.

The typhoon is so far the globe’s deadliest of 2025, according to disaster database Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT).

The state of calamity declaration activates additional government mechanisms for emergency response, relief distribution, and infrastructure rehabilitation, and gives local governments greater flexibility in mobilizing resources for affected communities.

The President ordered the release of P760 million in financial assistance to local government units affected by the typhoon.

Aerial photo released on November 6, 2025 showing the extent of damage left by Typhoon Tino in one of the villages of Cebu City. (Courtesy: Cebu City Public Information Office)

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the funds from the Office of the President will help LGUs accelerate recovery and deliver immediate support to affected families.

Under the distribution plan, Cebu, Capiz, Surigao del Norte, Iloilo, Bohol, and Negros Occidental will each receive P50 million.

Eastern Samar, Surigao del Sur, Southern Leyte, Antique, and Aklan will each receive P40 million; Leyte and Masbate, P30 million each; and Guimaras, Agusan del Norte, and Dinagat Islands, P20 million each.

Meanwhile, Biliran, Camarines Sur, Sorsogon, Misamis Oriental, Negros Oriental, and Palawan will each get P10 million while Albay, Romblon, Batangas, Northern Samar, Siquijor, Quezon Province, Samar, Agusan del Sur, Laguna, Zamboanga City, Manila, Camiguin, Occidental Mindoro, Camarines Norte, Zamboanga del Norte, and Iligan City will each receive P5 million.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has so far delivered 195,152 family food packs (FFPs) to LGUs across the Visayas and Mindanao as part of its ongoing disaster response.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), for its part, appealed to all Filipino faithful to extend help to families affected by the typhoon.

Archbishop Alberto Uy of Cebu urged parishes and the faithful to go beyond prayers and respond in “concrete ways” to ease the suffering of those hit by the storm.

Survivors of Typhoon Tino in Toledo City, Cebu line up to access potable water from the water trucks provided by the local government on November 5, 2025. (Courtesy: Toledo City Public Information Office)

“I encourage all parishes, through their Parish Caritas, to organize acts of charity and compassion,” Uy said.

“Please open your closets and look for clean and presentable clothes, towels, or blankets that you can donate to the victims of the storm.”

Floodwaters described as unprecedented rushed through Cebu towns and cities this week, sweeping away cars, riverside shanties and even massive shipping containers.

In Liloan town, some 35 bodies have been recovered.

Christine Aton’s sister Michelle, who has a disability, was among Liloan’s victims, trapped in her bedroom as the floodwaters rose inside their house.

“We tried to pry open (her bedroom door) with a kitchen knife and a crowbar but it wouldn’t budge…. Then the refrigerator started to float,” Aton, 29, said.

“I opened a window and my father and I swam out. We were crying because we wanted to save my older sister. But my father told me we couldn’t do anything for her, that all three of us might end up dead.”

Chyros Roa, a 42-year-old father of two, said his family was saved by his dog’s barking when water rushed into their home in the early hours, giving them just enough time to reach their roof.

“The current was really strong. We tried to call for rescue, but no one came. We were told the rescuers were swept away by the current,” he said.

State weather service meteorologist Benison Estareja said the rains along Tino’s path were 1.5 times the amount that would typically fall in Cebu for a full November, saying it was something that happened “once every 20 years.”

The “highly urbanized” nature of the most-affected communities around Cebu City had made it even deadlier, he added.

“Around four or five in the morning, the water was so strong that you couldn’t even step outside,” said Reynaldo Vergara, 53, adding that everything in his small shop in Mandaue had been lost when a nearby river overflowed.

“Nothing like this has ever happened. The water was raging.”

The Philippines has already reached its average of 20 such storms with “Tino,” state weather specialist Charmagne Varilla said, adding at least “three to five more” storms could be expected by December’s end.

— Charles Dantes, Maricel Cruz, Vito Barcelo, Rex Espiritu & Katrina Manubay with AFP