(1st UPDATE) Nonstop rains from Tropical Storm Ramil submerged nearly every barangay in Roxas City, Capiz, over the weekend, prompting officials to declare a state of calamity on Sunday, October 19, in what they described as the worst flooding in the city’s history.
City Information Officer Melvin Galagate said, “It’s the first time in the history of Roxas” that almost all villages experienced flooding. He added that waters in the city proper have already subsided, but several low-lying areas remain underwater.
Galagate reported that the floods affected around 830 families or 2,773 residents, left one person dead, and injured three others as of early Sunday.
Across Capiz province, authorities said that the storm caused widespread destruction.
Flooding killed three people—a 23-year-old vlogger in Ivisan who slipped while crossing floodwaters, a 45-year-old man who drowned in Roxas City, and another man who was electrocuted in Pilar.
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) said floods engulfed 117 barangays across 12 towns, affecting more than 29,902 families.
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Region 6 Director Joselito Estember said the agency continues to distribute family food packs and ready-to-eat meals.
He reported that DSWD had already assisted over 2,000 families in evacuation centers, with an additional 10,000 food packs on the way to the province.
Support
Roxas Mayor Ronnie Dadivas ordered the city’s disaster teams to start relief operations on Saturday night. With support from the DSWD, he said, they already delivered thousands of food packs to families in flooded areas.
The flooding also caused landslides and road collapses in multiple areas.
In Barangay Culasi, a landslide covered half of the road in Sitio Nipa, while in Sitio Switch, Barangay Adlawan, a road section collapsed, destroying one house and damaging four others.
In response to the widespread destruction, the Sangguniang Panlungsod, in a special session, approved Resolution No. 263-2025 based on the recommendation of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC).
The declaration now enables the city to utilize its quick response fund for immediate relief, repair, and rehabilitation.
Dadivas also suspended classes in all levels from October 20 to 22 to protect students and personnel and give families time to recover. He said the measure aims to provide “psychosocial recovery for students and their families due to the distress and trauma caused by the flooding.”
He urged teachers to use the break “for their own recovery and for preparing alternative delivery modes of learning, as guided by the Department of Education’s policies on class suspension during disasters.”
As response efforts continue, the city government is conducting damage assessments and preparing long-term rehabilitation plans.
Residents said the disaster serves as a wake-up call to upgrade the city’s drainage systems and bolster climate resilience measures.
Too much rain
The weather bureau clarified that the flooding in several parts of Capiz occurred due to heavy rainfall, even though Tropical Storm Ramil had no direct impact on the Visayas.
In an interview with Brigada News FM-Philippines, Esra Bulquiren of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) in Roxas, said the agency recorded 360 millimeters of rainfall on Saturday, causing water levels to rise rapidly and trigger flooding.
Bulquiren explained that normal or moderate rainfall ranges between 10 and 50 millimeters.
He noted that the highest rainfall volume PAGASA had ever recorded in Roxas City was 370 millimeters, nearly matching the recent measurement.*
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, contributes to Negros Daily Bulletin, and maintains a blog on Medium.