Zero casualties: Kalinga stays safe amid typhoons, heavy rains

“As of August 10, no recorded casualties across Kalinga” — LDRRM II PDRRMC Operations Officer Jeswinder Basiwal

TABUK CITY, Kalinga — Despite successive typhoons, heavy rains, flooding, and other weather disturbances affecting parts of the province, Kalinga has recorded zero casualties as of August 10, 2026, according to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC).

LDRRM Officer II and PDRRMC Operations Officer Jeswinder Basiwal said the province continues to maintain heightened preparedness as the southwest monsoon and succeeding weather disturbances bring persistent rainfall across Kalinga.

Authorities continue to monitor vulnerable communities and areas prone to flooding, landslides, and ground movement to ensure the safety of residents.

In an interview, Basiwal said one of the recent preparedness measures involved residents of Sitio Aloy, Barangay Guilayon, Tabuk City, who evacuated preemptively on August 8 after authorities noted that the ground in the area is prone to cracking during typhoons and heavy rainfall.

"....idi last week, nagkaroon tayo ti Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), dagijay evacuees idiay Sitio Aloy, Guilayon Tabuk City. Dagitoy, dati dan nga agi-evacuate en nu adda ti typhoon or napigsa ti tudo gamin ta diay daga idiay ayan da ket prone ti cracking nu kastoy ti weather," she said.

Basiwal added that 13 families comprising 45 individuals eventually evacuated, up from the 11 families with 42 individuals initially reported. Of the total, 21 were males and 24 were females.

The evacuees stayed with relatives and were classified as outside evacuees.

The City DRRM Office also recommended relocation for the affected families, while the barangay identified a possible relocation site. However, residents remain hesitant to relocate because they depend on their farms for their livelihood and do not want to leave them unattended.

"Nag-recommend ti city, kasi kinanayon nga adda talaga ti ag-evacuate ket nag-recommend da ti relocation site. So adda ti inted ti barangay nga relocation site para kinyada pero handa nga mapan ta haan da piman mapanawan dagijay farm da, taraken da-- dagidiay source of income da. Isunga kasdiay lattan ti araramiden nu adda ti typhoon kada tudo ket idiay da relatives dan nga mapan," she added.

Meanwhile, the LDRRM officer emphasized that the province has so far managed to keep residents safe despite the effects of recent typhoons, continuous rains, flooding, and landslide threats, with authorities remaining on standby while closely monitoring vulnerable areas.

"As of August 10, no recorded casualties across Kalinga. As of now, naka-standby amin tapnu ready for deployment nalang if ever. Amin dagiti response cluster ket naka-synchronize da metten," she said.

Basiwal also reported that some road closures in Pinukpuk-Balbalan and parts of Tinglayan were immediately addressed.

However, the Tanudan-Mabaca route via Barlig Road remains passable only to light vehicles after a portion of the road reportedly sank, creating what authorities described as a sunken pavement.

Despite the absence of casualties, Basiwal stressed that the province is not free from danger, particularly as saturated ground and persistent rainfall continue to increase the risk of flooding and landslides.

The PDRRMC is therefore maintaining heightened alert and keeping response personnel on standby to ensure that assistance can be immediately deployed should the situation escalate.