LA PALOMA Subdivision in Barangay Tisa, Cebu City, escaped severe flooding during typhoon Tino in November 2025. But on July 30, 2026, without a typhoon, water rose to chest level inside homes.
“During typhoon Tino, we did not experience that worse flooding,” said Violeta Musngi, president of the La Paloma Homeowners Association.
Since July 30, residents say, even afternoon showers have triggered flooding.
The flood exposed years of silt buildup, blocked outlets and development uphill.
Residents are calling for stronger government intervention against clogged waterways, river encroachments and expanding upland developments after experiencing severe flooding even during ordinary rainfall.
Nowhere for water to go
La Paloma lies along a drainage network carrying runoff from higher communities toward the Kinalumsan River.
Musngi said inspections they conducted found chokepoints at the Santa Teresita Village-Tambisan confluence, where silt and garbage narrowed channels, and along Upper-to-Lower Tambisan, where debris and structures restricted flow.
Stormwater and runoff from elevated subdivisions — primarily flowing from the Riva Ridge area through Santa Teresita Village — meet the runoff flowing from Paseo Arcenas through Sacred Heart Village at this confluence point in Sitio Tambisan. From there, the combined water channels down toward La Paloma Village before reaching the ultimate outfall at the Kinalumsan River, Musngi explained.
Engr. Felrem Lor, chairman of the Civil Engineering Department of the Cebu Institute of Technology University, conducted the inspections and surveys with La Paloma residents and confirmed Musngi’s explanation.
At the Kinalumsan outfall, inspectors found plastic bottles, household waste and concrete slabs blocking drainage. Residents say water then backs up into their subdivision.
Inside La Paloma, box culverts carrying runoff from upper developments had accumulated silt, reducing their capacity to almost nothing, according to inspections, Musngi said.
Both Lor and Musngi shared that during the cleanup operations of the drainage systems, heavy siltation was observed and plastic from garbage even mattresses, foam and electric fans were retrieved.
Musngi said homeowners had paid to clear culverts, with City assistance, before July 30. But clean drains offered little protection while downstream outlets remained blocked.
Pressure from uphill
Musngi said inspections near the Good Shepherd Bridge and Paseo found natural drainage paths narrowed by earthmoving and construction.
Residents worry that replacing trees and absorbent soil with roads and buildings will send more runoff downhill.
Even individually compliant projects could collectively strain shared drainage. Inspections have not established how much any specific project contributed to the July flood, Musngi said.
The City deployed 400 to 500 personnel to clear clogged outlets, removing more than a truckload of garbage and breaking up concrete obstructions.
Recent light rains have not flooded La Paloma following the clearing. But residents remain wary.
According to Musngi, Mayor Nestory Archival considers acquiring land in Upper Tambisan for a retention and water treatment facility. A summit with the 65 developers is also proposed to review detention ponds and flood-control compliance.
For La Paloma, July 30 exposed more than blocked drains. It revealed the challenge of managing a watershed where construction continues uphill while downstream communities depend on aging, obstructed waterways. / MVG
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