A family in Consolacion, Cebu faced unimaginable trauma during Typhoon Tino when they were forced to make the heartbreaking decision to leave behind the body of their deceased father due to rapidly rising floodwaters.
A Night of Horror and Heartbreak
Charles Hunter and his family from Garden Bloom Acres in Pitogo, Consolacion endured dual tragedies on November 4, 2025. While they survived the fury of Typhoon Tino, Hunter's 78-year-old father passed away in the early morning hours. The elderly man had been diagnosed with late-stage Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), a serious lung condition that complicated their situation during the storm.
In a viral Facebook post that has since drawn widespread attention, Hunter described the family's agonizing predicament. The rapidly rising floodwaters forced them to evacuate their home, leaving behind the body of Hunter's father as the situation became increasingly dangerous.
22-Hour Ordeal and Failed Rescue Efforts
The family urgently sought assistance from their barangay and a local funeral home for cremation services, but their efforts were thwarted by the extensive flooding that made roads impassable. The funeral parlor was unable to retrieve the body for 22 agonizing hours - from the time of death at 2 AM on November 4 until noon the following day.
"Can you imagine how traumatizing it is to see your dad die in the middle of a storm, having no choice but to wait out the storm, and now his body can't be picked up because of the flood from the storm?" Hunter expressed in his emotional social media post.
Call for Accountability and Infrastructure Investigation
Amid their personal grief, Hunter is demanding accountability from those responsible for what he describes as "poor flood management" that severely affected multiple areas including Liloan, Consolacion, Mandaue, Talisay, and Cebu City.
Hunter also highlighted the ongoing investigation by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) into alleged "ghost projects" and substandard infrastructure. Despite Typhoon Tino claiming more than 100 lives and the investigation having lasted 104 days, no individuals have been charged or imprisoned in connection with these infrastructure failures.
The tragedy has exposed critical gaps in disaster preparedness and infrastructure quality in the region, raising urgent questions about flood management systems and government accountability during natural disasters.
