Young artist and student journalist among Opong's victims in Masbate

MASBATE CITY — Sixteen-year-old Brian Bolaño was known as a kind and affectionate son and grandson, a good classmate, and a young man full of dreams. 

But during the onslaught of Typhoon Opong (international name: Bualoi) on Friday, those dreams came to a sudden and tragic end.

Past 4:00 a.m., while inside their home, Brian was crushed when a concrete wall from a neighbor’s property collapsed directly onto his bedroom. 

The house where the wall once stood had previously been gutted by fire, weakening the structure until it finally gave way under the force of the typhoon.

Brian’s father, Emmanuel Bolaño, a firefighter with the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Masbate, believed his son and mother were safe at home. Their house was made of concrete, and he thought its foundation was strong enough to withstand the typhoon. That morning, he was on duty, serving as part of the emergency response team helping typhoon-hit residents.

Before dawn, Emmanuel was still able to call Brian’s grandmother, who reassured him they were fine despite the howling winds. Moments later, he received the call every parent fears — their house had been struck, and Brian was trapped.

When he rushed home, his world collapsed.

“Bilis lang pangyayari. Ilang minuto lang ako hindi nakaresponde sa kanya. 'Di ko na siya napuntahan agad. Parang ang laki na diperensiya, madadatnan ko na siyang walang hininga,” Emmanuel said, his voice breaking.

(It went so fast. I was not able to respond to him for a few minutes. I was not able to go to him immediately. I arrived and he was no longer breathing.)

Brian was rushed to the hospital, where doctors tried to revive him. But when they told Emmanuel his son was gone, he could not accept it.

“Sinubukan ko, ako mismo ni-revive ko pa rin ang anak. Sa sobrang hindi ko matanggap, ang isip ko, hindi ko susukuan ang anak ko. Pero hindi na talaga, wala na talaga,” he said, crying.

(I tried to revive my son by myself. Because I could not accept his passing, I thought, I will not give up on my son. But there was really nothing that could be done.)

Brian was also dearly loved by his grandmother, who raised him closely. 

Friends from school shared that one of his last chat messages, sent in jest, said: "Gina kuha ako ni Lord (Kinuha ako ni Lord)."

His father painfully recalled that before heading to work that morning, he had one last quiet moment beside his son.

“'Yun na pala 'yung last. Dapat pala sinulit ko na yun,” he said.

(That was the last moment [we had together]. I should have made it longer.)

More than just a son and student, Brian was a gifted artist and a campus journalist. He served as his school’s editorial cartoonist and won awards in poster-making competitions. 

His classmate, Jadah Amador, tearfully remembered him at his wake: “Mabuti siyang tao. Nagse-serve po siya kay Lord. Very good student siya, very hardworking.”

(He was a good person. He served the Lord. He was a very good student, very hardworking.)

For Brian’s family and classmates, however, the recovery will take much longer. They have lost not only a son, grandson, and friend but also a promising young artist whose life was cut short too soon.

Brian is one of at least nine fatalities in Masbate due to Opong. Local disaster officials are still verifying other reported deaths possibly linked to the storm.

The province remains in crisis, with toppled electric posts, uprooted trees, and a prolonged blackout. Communication lines are still unstable.

Governor Richard Kho said the Masbate Electric Cooperative initially warned that full power restoration could take up to a month, but the Department of Energy has promised faster assistance. Major telecommunications firms Smart and Globe have also committed to restoring signal urgently.

For many residents, food and clean water remain the most pressing needs. Relief operations have begun, with initial deliveries reaching some affected towns. More supplies are expected in the coming days for the over 20 municipalities now under a state of calamity. 

Governor Kho assured residents that recovery is the priority.

“We assure them that we will do our best, we will do our best to recover, we will do our best na makabangon ang Masbate (for Masbate to rise again)," he said.

Masbate was the province most devastated by Severe Tropical Storm Opong, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Saturday. 

Opong made six landfalls in the country, two of them in Masbate.

It first made landfall in the municipality of Palanas as a typhoon at 4 a.m. on Friday, followed by another landfall over the municipality of Milagros at 5:30 a.m.

Opong weakened into a severe tropical storm but again became a typhoon early Saturday before exiting the Philippine Area of Responsibility.

Meanwhile, classes in all levels in public and private schools in Masbate have been suspended from Sept. 29 to Oct. 4. following the devastation. —KG, GMA Integrated News