Survivors remember Sendong tragedy that changed Cagayan de Oro

CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – Survivors of Tropical Storm Sendong (Washi) gathered on Monday, December 16, in solemn remembrance, lighting candles to honor the dead and reflect on the devastation that struck in Cagayan de Oro 13 years ago.

Despite the passage of time, the memories of the hours between December 16 and 17, 2011, still hang heavily in the air.

“I still have recurring dreams that my two sons are still alive,” said Beverly Pastrano, 47, her voice betraying the weight of a grief that never truly fades.

Pastrano was 34 when the floodwaters of the Cagayan River surged, inundating villages and sweeping away lives. In the wake of the disaster, more than 1,200 people were confirmed dead in Cagayan de Oro and the neighboring city of Iligan, the result of flash floods triggered by the late 2011 tropical storm. Many are listed as missing to this day.

In the years since, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has worked to shield communities from such a calamity ever repeating itself. 

A dike system was constructed, designed to protect the vulnerable river basin. Funded with P8.5 billion from the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Philippine government, the system spans from barangays Balulang to Bonbon on the western section, and from barangays Macasandig to Puntod on the eastern side.

Despite these efforts, the Sendong tragedy remains imprinted on the city’s landscape. In the aftermath, Cagayan de Oro underwent a dramatic transformation. Residents and businesses fled the riverbanks, migrating to the upper sections of the city, turning once-quiet hills and mountains into bustling commercial areas and subdivisions.

Engineer Armen Cuenca, head of the City Local Environment and Natural Resources Office (Clenro), said Sendong traumatized residents, leading to urban migration as people moved to the outlying hills of the city.

Cuenca said the commercial district in the western section of Barangay Carmen has more than tripled, transforming a grassy, rolling hill into a major commercial area.

“Everyone was scared to live beside the Cagayan River. This triggered migration to the hills around the city,” Cuenca said.

Ralph Paguio, chair of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines in Northern Mindanao, said the trauma from Sendong was so deep that old families broke their traditional ties with the Cagayan River.

“It used to be that old families liked to live beside the river for their laundry needs and entertainment. Now that is all gone. Living beside the river means death,” said Paguio, a native of the city.

Meanwhile, Pastrano said she was worried that the tragic events caused by Sendong will repeat themselves in the future. She said she was told by her elders that the river floods periodically and that Sendong was not the first time.

Cuenca said the history of Cagayan de Oro showed a 50-100-year cycle of floods along the Cagayan River.

“The dike system will protect the communities from flooding. The dikes are high enough to prevent the water from spilling over,” he said.

For journalist and Sendong survivor Mike Baños, that assurance is enough for him to move back to his old house, which he and his family abandoned 13 years ago.

“That dike will hold. I saw the specs and believe in it,” Baños said.

Baños, his wife, and two children survived the 2011 flood by climbing to the attic of their two-story house in San Lorenzo village in Barangay Macasandig. – Rappler.com