RESIDENTS of Iligan City today marked the 13th anniversary of Typhoon Sendong, which claimed over 1,600 lives in 2011, with memorials and reflections on the tragedy that reshaped their community.
Veronico Echavez, the barangay chair of Hinaplanon at the time, said the date remains deeply personal for him as it also falls on his birthday.
“I should be happy, but I can’t forget the lives lost that night, including those who remain missing,” Echavez told reporters.
Bayug Island, part of Hinaplanon, bore the brunt of Sendong’s devastation.
Floodwaters carrying logs and debris flattened houses and structures, leaving little chance for residents to survive.
“We thought it was the end for us, too,” Echavez recalled, adding that his family managed to evacuate near an overpass.
Lawyer Franklin M. Quijano described Sendong as a stark lesson on the dangers of environmental destruction, particularly illegal logging and mining.
“Living trees sustain life, but dead trees can lead to death,” Quijano said, pointing to the massive logs that swept into the city and intensified the flooding.
Quijano urged authorities to extend flood mitigation projects, such as the esplanade built in Hinaplanon, to areas like Bayug Island.
“Without such infrastructure, the island risks disappearing entirely,” he said.
While the local government has restricted rebuilding in Bayug for safety, some structures have gradually reappeared.
The disaster triggered an outpouring of aid from local and international donors, for which then-Mayor Lawrence Ll. Cruz expressed gratitude.
Typhoon Sendong, one of the Philippines’ deadliest storms, highlighted the country’s vulnerability to environmental degradation and extreme weather, leaving a lasting impact on the people of Iligan.
