Hope resurfaced in the highlands of Cebu City after one of the six residents earlier believed to be missing from Typhoon Tino was discovered alive — a development that families of other victims now cling to as search teams push deeper into ravaged upland zones.
Councilor Dave Tumulak, chairman of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CCDRRMC), confirmed on Tuesday, December 9, that only five individuals remain unaccounted for.
The reduction came after profiling teams unexpectedly found one woman “alive and safe at home,” despite being listed as missing for more than a month.
“As of this time, the reported was six missing person, but I am happy to announce that only five is missing during Typhoon Tino,” Tumulak said.
The discovery was made on December 5 during the Management of the Dead and the Missing (MDM) and Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team’s verification.
Responders were preparing to collect DNA samples from the family of the sixth supposed missing person when they realized she had already returned home.
“Nakita nato ang ika number 6 nga naa ra sa ilang balay… para unta kuhaon iyang DNA from the family, there we found out nga buhi diay,” he said.
The woman had reportedly walked away in fear during the typhoon’s onslaught and returned a week later, but the information never reached authorities.
Without updates from relatives or barangay officials, her name remained on the list of missing persons until the verification team’s visit.
“Tungod sa iyang kahadlok, nilakaw siya and nibalik siya after a week after the typhoon,” Tumulak added.
With five residents still missing, Tumulak said Cebu City intends to continue search-and-retrieval operations as long as families request assistance.
He emphasized that the city will not order a stop unless the families themselves agree to it.
“Ongoing gihapon ang retrieval sa mga missing sa Typhoon Tino because we cannot stop the operation because of the request of the two families nga continue ang pagpangita,” he said.
“In fairness sa family, we cannot stop. We cannot do that. There are two families gyud nga nagsige request sa city government na mo-continue. So we will continue. Mo-stop lang mi if muingon ang two families nga stop na.”
The remaining missing persons are from northern barangays — Paril, Bacayan, Binaliw, and Lusaran — areas where powerful floods and landslides swept away homes, pathways, and farmland.
Because mountain rivers in the area connect to downstream exits in Compostela and Liloan, Cebu City has also tapped neighboring LGUs for help.
“One of the family members man gud sa Barangay Paril… ang ilang river diha Cotcot-Lusaran and adto na exit sa Compostela and Liloan, so nakig-coordinate ta sa LGU. Ongoing sad ilang pagpangita,” he said.
Search teams continue to comb riverbanks, ravines, and debris piles, inspecting both upstream and downstream zones where water systems may have carried victims.
Some areas have to be checked repeatedly due to thick mud, unstable terrain, and the likelihood that victims may be buried under rocks, logs, or uprooted trees.
“Gipangkuha nato ang debris, gadala sad ta ug K9 dogs, gibuhat gyud nato ang tanan para makita gyud,” he said, noting that responders have to revisit sites several times.
“Balik balikon gyud na siya kay ma-identify raman nato ang missing if taga-asa, asa dapita ang flow sa river.”
Despite the demanding terrain and the weeks-long search, personnel from the CCDRRMO remain deployed.
“In terms of manpower, naa raman ta on duty gyud, naa man tay taga-CCDRRMO,” he added.
He said the emotional burden carried by families is reason enough to sustain operations.
“We cannot say we are stopping. We know the agony and pain families are going through.”
Cebu City earlier launched a coordinated profiling and DNA collection campaign with the DILG, PNP, City Health Department, CCDRRMO, and barangays to ensure scientific identification of any recovered remains.
The system is considered vital after multiple cases in Cebu and Bohol where families misidentified bodies based only on clothing.
Typhoon Tino battered Cebu City on November 4, unleashing landslides and severe flooding across upland barangays.
The storm left dozens dead across Cebu Province, displaced more than 11,000 families, and continues to leave communities searching for missing loved ones. (LLP)
Typhoon Tino aftermath in Bacayan. Jacq Hernandez
