Iloilo: A rain-induced landslide killed one person while flooding and other weather-related incidents affected more than 2,000 families in Iloilo province as the southwest monsoon, intensified by tropical cyclone Inday, battered parts of Western Visayas.
According to Philippines News Agency, the fatality was identified as 69-year-old Flacido Tabalin, who died after a landslide struck Barangay Nagba in Tubungan town, as reported by the Iloilo Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO). The PDRRMO further reported 17 flooding incidents and five rain-induced landslides across 18 municipalities, with impacts ranging from collapsed infrastructure to road erosion.
PDRRMO chief Cornelio Salinas stated that the affected areas included incidents involving flooding, damaged structures, and roadside erosion. "We have a total of 2,025 families in 157 barangays affected," Salinas said in an interview Monday. Fourteen people were rescued in Ajuy town after the propeller of the motor banca they were riding malfunctioned. In Miagao town, around 60 Badjaos living under Tumagbok Bridge were evacuated after floodwaters trapped them.
The weather disturbance damaged 12 houses, three of which were totally destroyed. A hanging bridge in Barangay Camando, Leon, also collapsed due to rising water levels. Meanwhile, the Police Regional Office in Western Visayas (PRO 6) remained on heightened alert, with more than 1,000 reactionary support forces deployed for monitoring and emergency response.
PRO 6 Public Information Office chief Maj. Lailyn Sencil said police personnel were monitoring roads, bridges, rivers, coastal communities, and landslide-prone areas, while maintaining visibility in evacuation centers and supporting relief and recovery operations. The collapsed hanging bridge in Barangay Camando remains impassable, and residents were advised to use alternate routes.
Sencil reported no incidents of looting or gender-based violence in evacuation centers and affected communities. Police stations, vehicles, communication equipment, headquarters, and regional support units also reported no damage.
