Rising together, stronger amid calamities

Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. Typhoons “Tino” and “Uwan” brought powerful winds and heavy rains that sent roofs flying, toppled trees, triggered flash floods and landslides, and left survivors with flattened homes and properties submerged in mud.

- AMENAH F. PANGANDAMAN

Among the hardest-hit areas of these typhoons is the Province of Dinagat Islands, particularly the Municipalities of Loreto and Tubajon. In Loreto, the calamity left 590 totally damaged and 2,009 partially damaged homes in 10 barangays, with ₱917,000 estimated damage to agriculture. Meanwhile, Tubajon recorded 47 totally damaged and 1,345 partially damaged homes in nine barangays, and an estimated ₱9.529 million damage to agriculture. The municipality is experiencing a total power outage, with no communications line available, and a widespread interruption of water supply.

Thus, last Nov. 12, 2025, we at the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), together with partner agencies-the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Office of Civil Defense (OCD), and Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), accompanied by municipal and provincial government officials-visited the two municipalities to extend assistance and assess the situation on the ground. The activity was in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s directive for government agencies to personally oversee relief and recovery efforts in typhoon-hit areas and ensure the swift recovery of affected communities, even in the farthest parts of the country, particularly Mindanao.