14 dead as ‘Opong’ ravages Bicol, Visayas
LEGAZPI CITY—Severe Tropical Storm “Opong” (international name: Bualoi) carved a deadly path through the Bicol and Visayas regions on Friday, forcing thousands of storm-weary families to flee homes and huddle on school floors.
The storm has left at least 14 people dead, as it triggered widespread flooding, landslides and power outages, according to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and various local disaster risk reduction and management offices on Friday.
In Bicol, four people were killed in Masbate and Camarines Norte, said OCD Bicol director Claudio Yucot.
He said the victims included a person in Mercedes, Camarines Norte, struck by lightning; a resident of Monreal town hit by a fallen tree; a man crushed by a collapsed wall in Masbate City; another hit by debris in Mobo town.
In Central Luzon, a 46-year-old woman, Jocelyn Avior Tejero, and an 8-year-old boy, JC Tejero Constantino, died in Barangay Mabayo, Morong, Bataan, when a large tree, uprooted by strong winds, toppled onto their light-material house while they were asleep. Both were declared dead on arrival at the hospital.
Urgent need
In Biliran province in Eastern Visayas, seven were reported killed: a 68-year-old man was found in farmland in Caibiran town after he drowned in flash floods on Thursday; a grandfather and his two granddaughters, age 4 and 12, who drowned in a flash flood on Friday in Barangay Bilwang of Kawayan town, while another granddaughter, 7, remained missing; and three people who died when a whirlwind struck the island town of Maripipi early Friday.
Opong made three landfalls within 12 hours: in San Policarpo, Eastern Samar before midnight on Thursday; in Palanas, Masbate, at 4 a.m. on Friday; and in Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro, at 11:30 a.m. on Friday. The storm left flooded cities, destroyed homes, damaged roads and cut off electricity in multiple provinces.
As of Friday, the OCD estimated that more than 85,000 families, or over 318,000 individuals, had been affected across Bicol alone, while the numbers in Visayas continue to climb.
In Masbate province, provincial disaster chief Gerald Palacio said about 8,604 families, or 26,000 people, were forced to flee to evacuation centers.
“Massive destruction was left behind—damaged houses, agricultural lands, toppled power lines and blocked roads,” Palacio said.
He added: “We urgently need food, nonfood items, shelter materials and clean water.”
Palacio said they were doing their best to respond quickly, “but the scale of damage is overwhelming. We need all the help we can get.”
Masbate Gov. Richard Kho has instructed local governments to expedite their damage reports so that the province can seek more assistance from the national government.
Missing
In Eastern Samar, where Opong first made landfall in San Policarpo town at 11:30 p.m. on Thursday, over 17,600 families—or 60,000 individuals—were affected.
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) said five fishers from Maydolong town remain missing after venturing out to sea despite warnings.
Flooding and landslides were reported across Leyte and Samar. In Ormoc City, low-lying barangays were inundated, while in Alangalang town, 27 families were evacuated due to the risk of landslides. Maripipi town in Biliran evacuated nearly 950 individuals.
In Northern Samar, 1,346 families were preemptively evacuated, though officials reported minimal damage. Power restoration efforts by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines are underway across the region.
Meanwhile, seven passengers, including a pregnant woman and a 12-year-old boy, were rescued after their motorboat capsized off Homonhon Island in Eastern Samar due to strong winds and heavy seas.
Dams swell
In Western Visayas, Opong triggered widespread flooding across Iloilo city and province. The Iloilo City Emergency Operations Center said at least 22,573 families (84,757 people) were affected, with 106 houses damaged—22 of them completely destroyed.
Floodwaters reached up to 40 inches in Jaro district and 20 inches in Mandurriao, affecting 82 barangays in the city.
Mayor Raisa Treñas assured residents that immediate relief and rehabilitation support were being mobilized to assist evacuted residents.
Six major dams in Iloilo also swelled beyond their normal operating levels, prompting the National Irrigation Administration to open several sluice gates to prevent overflow. Authorities warned that riverside communities along the Jalaur, Tigum, Suague and Aganan rivers remain at risk of further flooding.
The Philippine Coast Guard reported that 1,284 passengers were stranded in ports across Western Visayas after sea travel was suspended. Iloilo logged the highest number of stranded passengers at 948, alongside 44 vessels and 180 rolling cargoes prevented from leaving port.
Authorities stressed that the suspension of voyages was part of strict enforcement of storm warnings to ensure maritime safety.
In Aklan, the 35 villages in Ibajay town were directly hit by the storm, prompting the municipal government to place the town in a state of calamity on Friday.
In Cebu, about 977 families or 3,952 individuals were evacuated in at least seven towns and one city in the northern part of the province that were in the path of the storm.
Local governments from Masbate to Iloilo have appealed for urgent assistance as thousands of families crowd evacuation centers. Relief packs, clean water, medicine and temporary shelter remain top priorities.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development said it has prepositioned food packs in strategic hubs, while disaster offices continue clearing operations and relief distribution.
With swollen rivers, rising dams and ongoing heavy rains, authorities urged residents in low-lying and mountainous areas to remain vigilant.
“Lives were already lost because some people refused to evacuate. We hope others will take warnings seriously before it’s too late,” said Biliran’s Caibiran police. —WITH REPORTS FROM MA. APRIL MIER-MANJARES, MICHAEL B. JAUCIAN, GREG REFRACCION, JOEY A. GABIETA, HAZEL P. VILLA AND JHUNNEX NAPALLACAN
