Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro inspected evacuation centers in the Municipalities of Consolacion and Liloan on the afternoon of November 4, the same day Typhoon Tino battered Metro Cebu and triggered massive flooding in communities near waterways.
In Consolacion, Mayor Nene Alegado welcomed the Baricuatro and reported that the local government had forcibly evacuated residents from high-risk areas before the floods intensified.
However, in neighboring Liloan—where floodwaters inundated both gated subdivisions and riverside communities—only Vice Mayor Margo Frasco received the governor.
“Nakita gyud nako unsa ka importante ang presensya sa usa ka mayor, usa ka gobernador (I’ve seen firsthand how important it is to have a mayor, a governor) in a crisis like this, especially sa mass, preemptive evacuation,” Baricuatro told reporters at the Capitol.
“We saved a lot of lives because of the preemptive evacuation.”
“I heard from Mayor Nene sa Consolacion nga ila gyud gipugos ang mga tawo (that they are trying to force people) to evacuate. We saved a lot of lives because of the preemptive evacuation,” the lady governor added.
Baricuatro said that when she arrived in Liloan around 4:30 p.m., rescuers were still bringing evacuees to safety.
“Mao pay pag-abot sa ubang na-rescue (a number of rescuers have just arrived), hapon na. We brought pre-cooked meals and water. Lipay kaayo ang mga tawo didto kay (The people there were very happy that was their first meal for the day,” she said, adding that sleeping bags were also distributed since many evacuees had lost everything.
The visit capped a long day for Baricuatro, who had already been at the Capitol by 8 a.m. on November 4 after reactivating the Capitol’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) 24 hours earlier in anticipation of the storm’s impact.
Calling it “the worst flash flood caused by a typhoon” to hit Cebu in recent memory, she said the casualty count had reached 39 as of 5 p.m. on November 4.
“People did not have time to prepare, so all they could do was climb to their rooftops.”
“Lahi ang effect sa flashflood. In less than 10 minutes, nisaka ang tubig. People did not have time to prepare, so all they could do was climb to their rooftops,” Baricuatro said.
She appealed for donations, particularly clothing, as many evacuees had lost all their belongings.
“Let us not lose hope. Everything happens for a reason. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. Ang akoa lang, magkahiusa ta, magtinabangay ta, ug kumbati ta (All I want is for us to be together, to work together, and to be together) mga Sugbuanon,” Baricuatro added.
