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Mayors waited for disaster to happen?
Severe tropical storm Sendong hits Cagayan de Oro |
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By Elson T. Elizaga. Faxed letters converted to text on Feb. 1, 2026.
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Cagayan River and Iponan River overflowed during severe tropical storm Sendong (international name: Washi) and submerged a large part of Cagayan de Oro on Dec. 16 and 17, 2011. A community in sitio Calacala was wiped out. Five days later, 600 were recorded dead, and 500 missing. Most victims had lived along the rivers.
Public outrage ensued when mayor Vicente Y. Emano sent at least 79 bodies to the city garbage site. On Dec. 20, President Benigno Aquino III said "If anybody ever does that and put these deceased in a landfill, they will have to answer before the law.
On Dec. 29, Gold Star Daily reported that geologists from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources had warned former mayor Constantino Jaraula in 2009 and Emano in September 2011 that a disaster was waiting to happen in places identified as likely to be flooded. Emano claimed he had ordered people not to live near Cagayan River.
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Irate Facebook users have set up Save CDO Now, Bangon Kagay-an, and Mata na CDO to discuss ways to help the storm survivors, but these egroups became filled with criticisms against Emano and other officials. A group held a rally in divisoria and started a signature campaign to remove Emano. An underground "RADYO CDO" critical of Emano has been produced. Senator Aquilino Pimentel III filed a resolution on Jan. 6 to ask the Senate to investigate officials in Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, and other areas hit by Sendong.
No similar complaints and mass actions happened in Iligan City, which also suffered heavy casualties. See initial report of the event in Mindanews, and the column of Antonio J. Montalván II. 
LETTERS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES (DENR):
 Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Regional Office No. 10
January 19, 2009
HON. CONSTANTINO G. JARAULA
City Mayor
Cagayan de Oro City
Attn.: Hon. Reynaldo N. Advincula
City Councilor
Chair, Committee on Subdivision and Landed Estate
Sir,
We are pleased to furnish you herewith the recommendations of the Steering Committee of this Office relative to the City Resolution No. 7733-2008 pertaining to the ownership of land within the existing islets along the Cagayan de Oro River.
Relative thereto, the Committee recommended that the entry of new inhabitants and the construction of new units on the accretionary islets—including areas at the edge of the riverbanks, river channels, and abandoned river sections (oxbows), i.e., Sitio Cala-cala, Biasong and within Roa Quarry in Upper Balulang, and portions of Sitio Tibasak and Brgy. Consolacion, should STRICTLY BE PROHIBITED and that the existing residents in those areas should be programmed for relocation to a safer site.
Additionally, the Committee further recommended that the islets could be utilized as forest park with minimal investment that would harmonize with other developments along the banks of the Cagayan de Oro River.
Thank you and best regards.
Very truly yours,
[Signed]
Atty. Ernesto D. Adobo Jr., CESO III
Regional Executive Director
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 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Mines and Geosciences Bureau, Regional Office No. 10
September 12, 2011
HON. VICENTE Y. EMANO
City Mayor
Cagayan de Oro City
Dear Mayor Emano,
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has announced that stronger typhoons are expected to make landfall from September to December this year. This is to respectfully the City Government to take precautionary measures in view of the weather disturbance expected to hit the country. .
These typhoons will likely bring heavy precipitation with possible heavy impact on local population, and private and public infrastructure. The general public should be prepared in he event of the of landslides and floods. The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) is hereby advised to be vigilant and take precautionary measures. Warning signs in critical/dangerous are recommended to be installed.
The Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Committees (BDRRMCs) are advised to coordinate with the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council to plan for any emergency, including identification of suitable relocation and/or evacuation centers, that is, not in landslide/hazard-prone areas. BDRRMCs are advised to initiate evacuation and readiness measures.
Everyone is enjoined to keep updated with the latest weather bulletin.
Thank you very much.
Very truly yours,
(Signed)
Alfredo T. Relampagos
OIC, Regional Director
DENR-10 Compound, Macabalan, Cagayan de Oro City
Mines and Geosciences Bureau
Telefax No.: (088) 856-2111
Email: denrmgb_10@yahoo.com |
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LOST IN THE FLOOD
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| Cheng Gemino writes her last message in Facebook. She, her child and father lived in Tibasak, Cagayan de Oro. There were missing since the storm struck. As of 2025, their bodies have not been found. |
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