Cagayan City Grapples with Déjà Vu as Flooding Returns After Typhoon Uwan
Table of Contents
The city of Tuguegarao in Cagayan province, Philippines, is once again submerged, echoing the devastation of Typhoon Ulysses in 2020. While the rest of Cagayan Valley began recovery efforts following Super Typhoon Uwan’s (Fung-wong) landfall on November 9, Tuguegarao City found itself bracing for the worst, as floodwaters rapidly rose despite the cessation of rainfall.
The Cagayan River reached a critical 12 meters on Tuesday, November 11, inundating homes and displacing thousands. By the following day, only five of the city’s 49 barangays remained dry, with 10,417 families – a total of 33,682 individuals – finding their residences underwater.
Romelyn Marcelo, 20, a resident of Tuguegarao City, described the recent flooding as “just as terrifying” as the historic devastation wrought by Ulysses. “Parang déjà vu nga po ‘yung scenario namin kanina na naglilinis sa bahay since gan’on din po ang effect ng Ulysses before,” she shared on Thursday, November 13, recalling the eerily familiar scenes of cleaning up after the floodwaters receded.
Five years after Ulysses left almost the entire city devastated, residents are haunted by the return of inundated homes, boats navigating streets normally filled with tricycles, and the sight of thousands seeking refuge in evacuation centers.
A Natural Catch Basin
Tuguegarao City’s geographical location contributes significantly to its vulnerability. The city functions as a natural catch basin, absorbing water from upstream provinces, mountain ranges, and the spillage of dams, most notably Magat Dam in Ramon, Isabela.
“Kung hindi man tayo ang landfall, tayo po ang after-effect. Nararamdaman natin ‘yung effect ng bagyo after mismo…. Sa atin bumabagsak ang tubig,” explained Mayor Maila Ting-Que in a November 2024 interview with local media. (Even if the storm doesn’t make landfall in Tuguegarao City, we are the ones experiencing the after-effects. We feel the impact of the storm right after…. We catch the floodwater.)
During Uwan, the opening of Magat Dam peaked at 28 meters, with seven spillway gates released, a factor many residents believe exacerbated the rapid rise of the Cagayan River and subsequent flooding.
Marcelo recounted waking up on Monday, November 10, to find floodwater already engulfing the first floor of her aunt’s house in Centro 10. By lunchtime, the water had reached her own home, quickly rising to waist-deep levels.
Recurring Flooding and Infrastructure Concerns
Despite residing in a relatively elevated part of their barangay, Marcelo’s family was not spared. “Bihira po kaming bahain since nasa mataas na part po kami ng barangay namin. Usually po, saka lang kami binabaha kapag sobrang lakas na ulan talaga kapag may bagyo,” she said. (We rarely experience flooding because we are located in the higher part of our village. Usually, we only get flooded when the rain is really, really heavy during a typhoon.)
While expecting some flooding, the sheer water level surprised Marcelo, exceeding previous levels experienced during Severe Tropical Storm Nika. “Medyo expected naman na po naming babahain kami. What we didn’t expect lang po was the water level, since the previous year po na binaha kami, hindi umabot ng knee level (during Severe Tropical Storm Nika),” she noted.
Data from the Tuguegarao City Social Welfare and Development Office indicates that Uwan impacted 11,778 families, or 38,749 individuals – the most barangays affected in the city in the last five years, surpassing even the devastation of Ulysses.
| Date | Tropical Cyclone | Peak Buntun Bridge Water Level | No. of Affected |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 2020 | Ulysses | 13.30 meters | 46 barangays, 44,912 families, 153,085 individuals |
| November 2022 | Paeng | 12.20 meters | 41 barangays, 11,618 families, 39,757 individuals |
| November 2024 | Nika and Ofel | 11.40 meters | 35 barangays, 3,120 families, 11,015 individuals |
| November 2025 | Uwan | 12.00 meters | 44 barangays, 11,778 families, 38,749 individuals |
Source: DSWD, Tuguegarao City Command Center, Tuguegarao CSWDO.
Buntun Bridge Closure and Infrastructure Weaknesses
The rising waters prompted the temporary closure of the Buntun Bridge on Tuesday, November 11 – a historic first due to a tropical cyclone. DPWH Region II officer-in-charge Director Mathias Malenab explained the decision was a precautionary measure following orders from the DPWH Central Office to limit the bridge’s load capacity.
“We cannot compare na ‘yung situation ng Buntun Bridge ngayon as it was five years ago [during Typhoon Ulysses, when it reached 13.3 meters]. Pero during that time and this time, hindi na parehas ang kondisyon ng tulay,” he stated. (We cannot compare the situation of Buntun Bridge now to what it was five years ago. During that time and this time, the condition of the bridge is no longer the same.)
While closed to most traffic, the bridge remained accessible to pedestrians and frontline vehicles, with the city government providing transport for vulnerable residents. The bridge reopened to light vehicles as water levels subsided.
Concerns regarding the bridge’s structural integrity have been mounting. In March 2025, the DPWH restricted vehicles weighing over 15 tons from crossing, despite a P101.3-million retrofitting project completed in 2023. The ongoing construction of the Solana-Tuguegarao Bridge offers a potential long-term solution, but its completion date remains uncertain.
Marcelo also pointed to stalled progress on a nearby flood control project. “There’s this ongoing project po malapit sa amin, ‘yung dike po, which I think is a flood control project. The previous year naman po, continuous ‘yung work until around the election season, suddenly nag-stop ‘yung work operations on the said project,” she said. (There is an ongoing project near us, the dike, which I think is a flood control project. Last year, the work was continuous, until around the election season, the work operations on the said project suddenly stopped.) “How will it be able to help us if they stopped working on it?”
As of Friday, November 14, the Cagayan River’s water level at Buntun Bridge had significantly decreased to 5.1 meters. While most flooded barangays are left with mud and debris, Barangay Linao continues to grapple with knee-high floodwaters.
Almost every November, Tuguegarao City faces the onslaught of tropical cyclones. The unprecedented flooding of 2020, caused by Ulysses, remains etched in the city’s memory as its worst disaster. And half a decade later, the city sank again. – Rappler.com
