ILOILO – Four weather disturbances in just two weeks have left Western Visayas reeling, wiping out crops, flooding communities, and displacing nearly 600,000 residents, according to the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD).
As of September 30, 2025 (5 a.m.), OCD pegged agricultural losses at ₱36.7 million, with 1,816 farmers and fisherfolk suffering heavy blows from the combined wrath of tropical cyclones “Mirasol”, “Nando”, “Opong”, and the southwest monsoon.
Farmers hit hardest
* Antique – 223 individuals, ₱4,102,348.48 losses
* Iloilo – 1,171 individuals, ₱25,784,608.78 losses
* Guimaras – 66 individuals, ₱870,541.30 losses
* Aklan – 356 individuals, ₱5,944,720.82 losses
A total of 1,474.78 hectares (ha.) of farmland were struck, with 148.06 ha totally destroyed and 1,326.72 ha partially damaged.
The breakdown per province:
* Antique – 14.01 ha totally, 138.94 ha. partially
* Iloilo – 96.2 ha totally, 961 ha. partially
* Guimaras – 6.15 ha totally, 31.59 ha. partially
* Aklan – 31.7 ha totally, 195.19 ha. partially
The crop losses translated into 3,066.17 metric tons (MT) of production gone:
* Antique – 302.38 MT
* Iloilo – 2,263.57 MT
* Guimaras – 42.37 MT
* Aklan – 457.85 MT
Human toll
The typhoons affected 164,220 families or 586,911 persons across Western Visayas. Of these, 409 families (1,281 individuals) are in 13 evacuation centers, while 279 families (1,297 individuals) were assisted outside ECs:
* Aklan – 228 barangays (40,195 families or 144,286 individuals)
* Antique – 417 barangays (50,063 families or 171,644 individuals)
* Capiz – 298 barangays (20,818 families or 74,586 individuals)
* Iloilo – 612 barangays (39,713 families or 140,741 individuals)
* Guimaras – 91 barangays (13,431 families or 55,654 individuals)
“When we refer to those affected, it doesn’t always mean that individuals are in evacuation centers or have been completely displaced. Many have experienced severe flooding or damage to their homes, which qualifies as being affected in various ways,” explained OCD-6 spokesperson Maria Christina Mayor.
She stressed that the string of typhoons inflicted “a significant impact on both agriculture and infrastructure” in the region.
Preemptive moves save lives
Mayor credited local government units for their compliance with the directive of Civil Defense Regional Director and RDRRMC chair Raul Fernandez to conduct preemptive evacuations.
“This coordinated effort aimed to minimize risk and safeguard residents from potential disaster,” she said, underscoring the role of preparedness in disaster management.
Call for resilience
With thousands of hectares damaged and food supply chains disrupted, officials warn of long-term economic impacts.
The OCD emphasized that the back-to-back disasters highlight the urgent need to bolster disaster preparedness as the region faces increasingly severe weather linked to climate change./PN
