A YEAR after typhoon Tino turned streets into rivers, Metro Cebu’s hardest question is no longer why it flooded. Engineers, planners and disaster officials have offered explanations. The question now is whether those lessons have become funded projects before the next storm.
Tino dumped 428 millimeters of rain in a day, more than double Metro Cebu’s usual monthly average of 200 millimeters. Much fell on mountain ridges, sending floodwaters into communities in Mandaue and Talisay within one to two hours, according to urban planner Joseph Michael “Yumi” Espina, an architect.
A University of the Philippines study identified three contributing factors: narrowed rivers, accumulated garbage and two decades of upland development.
Engr. Felrem Lor of Cebu Institute of Technology-University said drainage infrastructure has failed to keep pace with urban growth.
Why the water came so fast
Four major watersheds feed Metro Cebu: Mananga, Butuanon, Cotcot and Cansaga. Mananga drains toward Talisay, while Butuanon flows through Mandaue.
Lor identified two problems: increased surface runoff and inadequate drainage capacity.
Soil and trees once absorbed rainfall. Concrete, asphalt and roofs now convert as much as 90 to 95 percent of rainfall into surface runoff, aggravated by Cebu’s steep mountain terrain.
Meanwhile, waterways have narrowed because of siltation, garbage and encroachments.
Engr. Maria Nenita Jumao-as, executive director of the University of San Carlos Water Resource Center, previously described Cebu’s flooding as “flashy,” explaining that the island’s narrow shape and steep terrain rapidly channel upland rainwater toward low-lying communities.
Urbanization further reduces the ground’s ability to absorb rainfall, increasing the speed and intensity of flooding.
The missing link in planning
Espina said Cebu City does not lack plans. What is missing is a critical link between land-use planning and budgeting.
The planning process should progress from the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (Clup) to the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP), the three-year Executive Legislative Agenda and finally the budget.
Although Cebu City has a Clup and an executive-legislative agenda, it lacks a completed CDP.
Without this, investment programs and barangay allocations are often decided separately, weakening coordination. Five sector committees are now working to complete the missing plan, said Espina, co-chairman of the Cebu Development Council.
A report titled “From Watershed to City,” submitted by Atty. Anastacio Muntuerto Jr., then vice chairman of the City’s Flood and Drainage Council, similarly identified the gap between scientific studies and implementation as Cebu’s central challenge.
Floodwaters are gone, fear stays
The report recommended establishing a Metro Cebu Watershed Authority or Council with permanent technical personnel, coordinated watershed management, scientific advisory systems and integrated data management beyond political terms.
It also proposed university partnerships, watershed restoration projects and demonstration sites, starting with the Lahug Watershed Learning Model.
Lor recommended a comprehensive inventory and declogging of underground culverts, beginning with the Tambisan–La Paloma stretch, alongside silt and garbage traps upstream.
Large upland developments should install detention ponds, while smaller projects could use underground tanks or cisterns. Structures obstructing waterways must also be addressed.
Because rivers cross political boundaries, Lor proposed an independent authority to coordinate flood control across Metro Cebu’s watersheds.
Improving drainage in one barangay, he warned, could merely send floodwaters faster into downstream communities.
Is Cebu ready for another major storm?
Gov. Pamela Baricuatro earlier declared that Cebu Province was better prepared for another major typhoon.
However, the bigger test is whether stronger disaster response can translate into fewer casualties, reduced damage and faster recovery.
Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Ma. Cynthia “Cindi” Chan said Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, that the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council conducts assessments before and after disasters to identify threats and community needs.
The City also prepositions food packs and relief supplies in vulnerable areas and conducts community-based disaster preparedness activities.
Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo Jovito Ouano said the City had shifted from centrally distributed prepared meals to prepositioning rice and canned goods in barangays and organizing community kitchens.
He emphasized early evacuation near the Butuanon and Mahiga waterways and called for closer coordination with Cebu City to address overflowing rivers.
Mandaue is also reviewing its drainage master plan and seeking national funding for major flood-control projects.
In Cebu City, Mayor Nestor Archival said most residents directly affected by the Nov. 4, 2025 disaster had been transferred to relocation areas, including Barangay Pit-os.
However, relocating families living along river easements remains difficult because suitable housing must first be provided.
Enforcing the three-meter easement, therefore, requires more than clearing waterways. It also requires viable relocation sites for displaced families.
Last month, Archival and Liloan Mayor Aljew Frasco discussed flood-mitigation measures along the Cotcot River, which flows through parts of Cebu City toward Liloan.
Frasco proposed an early warning system at Cambinucot Bridge to detect rising upstream water levels and alert downstream communities.
The mayors also discussed a possible water catchment facility near the Cebu City-Liloan boundary to regulate river flow.
In Talisay City, Mayor Gerald Anthony Gullas Jr. acknowledged during his Oct. 8 State of the City Address that Tino exposed weaknesses in disaster response and infrastructure.
He cited continuing training for emergency responders, improved equipment and communications across the city’s 22 barangays and proposed monitoring systems along the Mananga River.
These include water-level sensors and closed-circuit television cameras to help authorities detect rising floodwaters and issue timely warnings.
A year after Tino, Metro Cebu’s challenge extends beyond preparing communities to evacuate.
It is whether local governments can turn scientific findings, watershed plans and proposed infrastructure into coordinated, funded and completed projects before another devastating flood strikes. / Mildred V. Galarpe with Cherry Ann Virador and Denise P. Codis
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