Massive flooding in Western Visayas affects over 32,000 families

Massive flooding in Western Visayas on October 18, 2025 has affected over 32,000 families, or at least 116,000 individuals.

According to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) 6, the Province of Capiz is most affected with over 19,000 families, or over 72,000 individuals.

At least three persons were reported dead.

In Roxas City, main roads and several houses were inundated.

Over 1,000 families, or 3,709 individuals, have been affected.

Rescuers used ropes and ladders during their response operations because of the swift rise in water level.

A senior citizen was placed in a vat during a rescue operation. 

Roxas City was placed under a state of calamity on October 19, 2025.

The flooding is described to be the worst to have hit the city.

"Almost lahat na mga barangay, lahat na mga kalsada binaha,” Mayor Ronnie Dadivas said.

A differently abled person was helped to a tricycle during the evacuation procedure. 

“Isinakay ako ng kapatid ko sa tricycle kasi hindi ako makalakad,” said Marcelino Amores, Jr., a person with disability (PWD).

In the Municipality of Sigma, Capiz, repair works on a collapsed portion of the highway in Barangay Mianay is ongoing, as of this writing.

Motorcycles and tricycles are the only vehicles allowed to pass through. 

Meanwhile, around 18,000 individuals in the Province of Iloilo are also affected.

A total of 13 barangays in the Municipality of Estancia have also been affected by a massive flooding.

At least 389 families, or 1,322 individuals, were rescued and evacuated.

A man was reported trapped in his house when a school wall collapsed. The incident happened in Zone 1, Barangay Poblacion. Neighbors rushed to rescue him. He was taken to the hospital and survived the incident.

However, the flood did not stop a bride from crossing a swollen spillway to get to the church for her wedding. A video uploaded by netizen Jean Rose Talaman showed that the bride, in her wedding gown, took a piggyback ride. A man carried her across an inundated spillway in Barangay Nueva Invencion, Barotac Viejo in Iloilo.

Despite the inclement weather, the wedding reportedly pushed through.

In Balasan town, Iloilo, a slight rise in water level was reported that inundated roads. The Local Government Unit conducted a preemptive evacuation.

According to data from Balasan Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, at least 441 families, or 1,404 individuals, were taken to the evacuation center evening on October 18, 2025. —GMA Regional TV