GREED AND NEGLIGENCE, not nature alone, killed the victims of Typhoon Tino, especially in Cebu.
While Typhoon Tino is a natural disaster, many netizens online argue that a political disaster is the real cause of the devastation.
FLOOD CONTROL
With all the talk about ghost and substandard flood control projects, many wonder if the tragedy could have been avoided had those projects been done properly.
According to data from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Cebu had 343 flood control projects built from 2016 to 2022, and 168 more from 2023 to 2025.
QM Builders, one of the top 15 contractors for flood control projects named by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., is based in Cebu.
NOTORIOUS CONTRACTORS
The company bagged some of the biggest projects in the province, including 13 worth ₱1.54 billion along the Mananga River in Talisay City.
A.S.T. Builders and Quirante Construction Corporation (formerly Quirante Construction) also secured projects along the same river worth ₱173 million and ₱377 million, respectively.
QM Builders and Quirante Construction are separate entities but related—QM owner Allan Quirante is the uncle of Quirante Construction CEO Jonathan Quirante.
Cebu Governor Pam Baricuatro also took to social media, posting: “₱26 billion of flood control funds for Cebu, yet we are flooded to the max.”
According to her, all flood control projects in Cebu since 2019 are either ghost or substandard.
‘According to the OCD, at least 91 people have died, 10 were injured, and 75 remain missing as of their latest report on November 5. Authorities fear the numbers will continue to rise in the coming days… The entire province of Cebu, comprising 53 cities and municipalities, has been placed under a state of calamity due to the extent of the damage.’
LATE INVESTIGATION
Following the deep and raging floodwaters in Cebu, President Marcos Jr. ordered an investigation into the effectiveness of the province’s flood control projects.
“Iyan po ang dahilan kung bakit po nagpapaimbestiga ang Pangulong Marcos Jr. dahil nakita niya po iyong epekto—may mga budget na inilaan para dito pero parang hindi gumagana,” said Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro.
As of writing, 48 people have been reported dead and 119,000 displaced in what has been described as one of the worst floods in Cebu’s history.
Interestingly, today also marks 100 days since the flood control scandal was exposed, yet no major players or “congtractors” have been put behind bars.
For the 48 people who lost their lives, and the irreplaceable damage caused, there remains little promise of justice.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The investigation faces a potential conflict of interest.
According to the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), Jonathan Quirante donated ₱1 million to Marcos’ presidential campaign.
While that was the only documented donation from Quirante, there are reasons to believe he may have contributed more, given the government benefits his firms received afterward.
PCIJ found that contractors who donated to Marcos saw a steep increase in government contracts.
“The most dramatic example is that of Quirante Construction, whose total solo and joint contracts leaped to ₱3 billion in 2023—a billion-peso increase in just one year after the election,” PCIJ reported.
LEADERS MISSING
In Cebu’s Fifth District, flooding wasn’t the only issue. Reports say Representative Duke Frasco and several mayors from the district were all abroad during the disaster.
The Office of the Governor confirmed that several mayors from the Fifth District had filed for Foreign Travel Authority from November 1 to 7, just a week or two before the typhoon.
CAMPAIGN TIME?
Netizens also took notice of Frasco’s absence. His office has been distributing relief goods branded as “Frasco Boxes” due to the large “FRASCO” text printed on them.
“Allegedly nasa Europe si Congressman Duke Frasco habangnilulunod ng super typhoon ang Cebu pero wow, may pa-ayudapa ring kahon na punong-puno ng “FRASCO,” parang brand ng tubig, hindi ng tulong. Galing ah, pati tinta ng apelyido, taxpayers ang bayad — magkano kaya kada print nun? (Allegedly, Congressman Duke Frasco was in Europe while Cebu was drowning, yet his office managed to distribute boxes filled with the name “FRASCO’—like a water brand, not a relief pack. Amazing. Even the ink for his surname was paid for by taxpayers—how much per print, I wonder?)” wrote blogger Nutribun Republic on Facebook.
DEVASTATING AFTERMATH
According to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), at least 91 people have died, 10 were injured, and 75 remain missing as of their latest report on November 5.
Authorities fear the numbers will continue to rise in the coming days.
The disaster has affected 706,549 individuals, or 203,595 families, across seven regions.
Of these, 348,554 individuals are staying in 3,894 evacuation centers; 88,357 are sheltering with relatives or friends; and 215,190 residents were preemptively evacuated before the typhoon made landfall.
The entire province of Cebu, comprising 53 cities and municipalities, has been placed under a state of calamity due to the extent of the damage.
HELICOPTER CRASH
Meanwhile, a Philippine Air Force helicopter crashed in Agusan del Sur while transporting humanitarian aid to provinces affected by the typhoon, killing six people.
The aircraft, a refurbished unit acquired from the United States in 2011, had been reconfigured to meet operational and airworthiness standards, according to the Air Force.
Investigations are ongoing.