Post-Tino Water Shortages Continue to Affect Metro Cebu Homes, Businesses

Two weeks after Typhoon Tino (Kalmaegi) struck Cebu Island, a substantial portion of Metro Cebu continues to experience water shortages, with households and businesses reporting ongoing difficulties due to slow restoration efforts.

Although power has returned to many areas, including Talisay City, the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) confirmed on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, that water service has not returned to normal because of significant infrastructure damage.

Water-dependent establishments report large financial and operational losses as the supply remains unstable. According to the Talisay City Chamber of Commerce, most businesses have reopened but still face hurdles in fully resuming operations.

Its president, Carl Cabusas, described the water situation as the “significant biggest challenge” for the business community.

Owners of water-reliant businesses have reported ongoing disruptions. Ariel Adanza, who runs a water refilling station and a laundry shop in Talisay, said that consistent low water pressure has slowed operations.

Another laundry shop in the city extended its service timeline from the usual one day to three to five days. Staff members have been waking up at 2 a.m. to monitor pressure levels and fill storage tanks when water becomes available.

One laundry business closed a branch in Talisay and outsourced loads to other branches in areas where service has been restored.

Residents across Metro Cebu face similar difficulties. Narvie Borja, a student from Sitio Anapog in Barangay Lahug, Cebu City, temporarily relocated to Carcar City to access water.

She continues commuting to Cebu City for her classes while caring for four younger siblings. She noted that while Barangay Lahug provides water every other day, only households along the main road benefit from the schedule.

In Consolacion, a resident named Sai, who withheld her full name, said her household had no water for 14 days since the flooding on November 4. Her family depends on a hose connected to a neighbor with a non-MCWD source, paying extra for access and waking up early to fill containers.

In Cebu City, Alex Bordiano of Tres de Abril Street said his area has been without water since November 10. He said this has forced residents to line up for tanker deliveries and purchase mineral water for daily needs.

MCWD said the current shortage stems from extensive damage caused by the typhoon. As of November 18, the district has restored 76 percent of its usual supply, producing 208,599 cubic meters of water out of the regular 275,000 cubic meters, according to MCWD information officer Minerva Gerodias.

She said the main cause of low pressure and outages is the continued shutdown of two major facilities: the Jaclupan facility in Talisay City and the JE Hydro plant at the Lusaran reservoir in Cebu City.

In Barangay Guizo, Mandaue City, residents face severe shortages because 17,000 cubic meters of water supply are offline. Gerodias said this was caused by flooding that affected Compostela’s supplier and the collapse of a transmission pipe from a supplier in Consolacion.

Residents have also cited concerns about MCWD’s communication channels. Clariza Mae Sevilla of Guizo said she could not reach the utility through its hotline, stating she waited for two hours before her call was disconnected.

She described the agency’s online responses as “generic,” adding, “The large volume of calls means they’re not doing their job right.” Bordiano also said he received no replies to his calls or messages.

MCWD disabled the comments section on its official Facebook page, a move questioned by residents including Sai. Gerodias said this was done to redirect customers to the utility’s Messenger account, explaining that public comments are not visible to the customer service team.

“We encourage them to message us directly, rather than using the public comment section to voice their concerns,” she said. She also acknowledged delays in hotline responses, attributing them to a high volume of calls managed by a small staff.

MCWD outlined plans to accelerate restoration. The utility intends to bypass the three-month timeline needed to repair the damaged pipe at the Jaclupan facility by installing a new pipeline from an additional supplier.

The pipeline will serve as a connection between the Lagtang reservoir in Talisay and the Tisa reservoir in Cebu City. Gerodias said water supply from the Jaclupan source may resume by Thursday, November 20.

Residents have also been provided estimated restoration timelines. Borja said an MCWD worker informed her that Lahug’s water supply may return before the end of the month, possibly by November 26.

MCWD also reminded the public that unauthorized drilling or altering of its pipelines is illegal. The utility warned that such actions may cause additional interruptions or contamination.