Dennis Gaviola

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Dennis Datu

ABS-CBN News

MAMBURAO, Occidental Mindoro — They have barely begun picking up the pieces from last week’s devastating floods.Now, the residents of Mamburao and Abra de Ilog  towns are bracing for another round of heavy rains as the southwest monsoon, or habagat, threatens to once again unleash flooding, landslides and further destruction across Occidental Mindoro.Along the Mamburao coastline on Thursday, huge waves were already crashing against the shore—a warning sign of the worsening monsoon conditions.For local fishermen, it means staying ashore once again.Their boats have been pulled into the river and tightly secured. Fishermen hope this will keep them from being swept away if the current suddenly surges.“Nag-aayos kami ng aming bangka baka po lumakas ang agos ay hindi siya maanod, kapag ganitong tag-ulan, ang baha ay todo talagang kapag hindi maayos ang tali lagot, dala ang bangka palabas,” said fisherman and boat owner Vivencio Madrid.But for many families, the danger is not only the rising water.It is the loss of their livelihood.No work, no income, and now—scarce food.Weeks of bad weather have kept fishermen from the sea and prevented many residents from earning a living.Mamburao Mayor E-K Almero said the prolonged disruption has also begun to strain the municipality’s supply of relief goods.“Kasi kung hindi naman po nabaha, yung livelihood ay naapektuhan kasi for almost to three weeks po lalo na yung mga fisherfolk, yung TODA natin, kahit ho yung mga IPs natin eh hindi po makapaghanapbuhay kaya po yung pagkain naging scarce,” Almero said.The mayor admitted that some affected communities have yet to receive assistance as the municipality’s stock of family food packs continues to dwindle.“Sa reality sa ground, may mga hindi pa rin po kami na-hit na areas na supposedly mabigyan po namin, pero as of today po, dire-diretso pa rin po yung ating LGU, ang ginagamit na lang po namin ngayon is yung LGU na food packs po,” he said.Almero is appealing to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for additional family food packs.“So nagbigay naman po ng tulong ang DSWD po kaya lang may mga times po na may mga hindi pa ho kami nabibigyan as of now. Nagrequest na rin ho kami sa DSWD po ng additional  relief goods po, food packs po baka sakaling mapagbigyan,” he added.In Abra de Ilog, another threat looms over residents of Sitio Sikat-Tala in Barangay Wawa.A massive portion of the riverbank collapsed during last week’s monsoon rains, eroding about 200 meters of the riverbank and leaving around 40 houses at risk of being swallowed by the river.With another round of heavy rains approaching, residents are working together, filling and piling sandbags along the damaged riverbank in a desperate attempt to hold the soil in place.For residents like Angela Subong, every sound of rain now brings fear.“Ninerbyos kami kasi ganyan na naman ang panahon hindi namin alam kung kailan na naman guguho ang lupa , hindi kami napapanatag  hindi nakakatulog, sana po ay aksyonan agad ng gabion, request namin dito sir,” she said.Abra de Ilog Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) head Geoffrey Panganiban said the local government has released P750,000 from its Quick Response Fund to purchase materials for gabion protection.“Ito po ay isa sa ating unang solusyon at pinag-aaralan pa rin po ang mas malaking dike. Baka pwedeng mag-riprap,” Panganiban said.And in another part of Barangay Wawa, about 200 families have been cut off after floodwaters destroyed their only bamboo bridge across the river.Now, residents have no choice but to take boats just to cross.For senior citizens, the daily journey has become even more difficult—and dangerous.“Ay talagang ng nawalan ng tulay ay kainaman hirap, magapang na ho, mahirap ho magsakay hindi kagaya ng tulay na dire-diretso eh papaano kung may sakit eh di patay na bago dumating ng ospital,” said senior citizen Perfecta Apranque.The bamboo bridge has been destroyed repeatedly whenever severe weather strikes.This time, residents say they have had enough.They are calling on the government to build a permanent bridge—one that can withstand the rains, rising rivers and floods that return year after year.

They have barely begun picking up the pieces from last week’s devastating floods.

They have barely begun picking up the pieces from last week’s devastating floods.

Occidental Mindoro braces for another onslaught of habagat

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Occidental Mindoro braces for another onslaught of habagat

Dennis Datu,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 28, 2026 12:28 AM PHT

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