In the aftermath of Typhoon Tino, residents of Guadalupe Heights Subdivision in Cebu faced unprecedented flooding that submerged homes and raised serious questions about development impacts on natural drainage.
Preventive Evacuation Saves Family
Ronnie and Angie Mangubat made a crucial decision before Typhoon Tino struck on November 19, 2025. Following past experiences with flooding in their family's Guadalupe Heights neighborhood, they evacuated Ronnie's widowed mother to her lawyer-daughter's safer residence as a precautionary measure.
The couple chose to ride out the storm in a hotel, anticipating the inevitable power outage that follows severe weather disturbances. From his hotel room, Ronnie monitored the situation at the ancestral home through his mother's household helpers.
"Little by little, I learned that floodwaters had breached the house's concrete barrier," Ronnie recalled. The rising waters engulfed the sala and settled in his mother's bedroom, reaching levels never before seen in the village.
Unprecedented Flooding Damage
Ronnie, who has witnessed many floods in the area, stated this was the worst flooding that ever happened in the village. The two water pumps installed by homeowners in the community proved completely inadequate against the powerful tide.
When the mud deposited by the floodwaters finally dried, the streets appeared as if they had been painted white—a stark visual reminder of the scale of the disaster that had unfolded.
While no one has claimed that the waters that rampaged through the Mananga and Cotcot rivers—claiming several lives—originated from Monterrazas, residents question whether the upscale subdivision development contributed to their local flooding crisis.
Community Seeks Answers and Solutions
The Guadalupe Heights residents contacted Monterrazas directly following the disaster, suspecting that water runoff from the leveled mountain where the subdivision was built might have contributed to their flooding problems.
Monterrazas responded by sending culverts, but residents remained unsatisfied. They escalated their concerns to the Guadalupe barangay captain, seeking official intervention and accountability.
The latest development indicates that the subdivision's lawyers have scheduled a meeting with Guadalupe Heights homeowners, led by their president and former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) regional manager William Medici.
While Monterrazas' neighbors were fortunate that no lives were lost to this flood, serious questions remain about how long that luck will hold if fundamental drainage issues aren't properly addressed.
