When a storm takes a home, it takes more than walls. It takes the feeling of safety that lives inside them. After Typhoon Tino swept through Cebu on November 4, 2025, many families and communities woke up to this kind of loss. On the news, we have seen many families who stood on their roofs waiting for rescue. Communities watched their homes disappear under rising floodwaters.
Rosemarie Rosal, a resident of Purok Tres, Cabadiangan, Compostela, Cebu was one of them. She, her daughter, and her grandchildren safely evacuated at Cabadiangan Elementary School, but the surge of water from the nearby river swept their home away.
“Dili gyod makapuy-an, na lusno gyud siya, mam. Mao akong gika problemahan kay ang mga bata, mag klase na ra ba. Pait kaayos tanan ug asa mi padulong nya ug mag klase na,” she expressed. With their home gone and school days approaching, she felt the weight of not knowing where to bring her grandchildren next.
Like many who lost everything, Rosemarie carries the hope to rebuild and regain even a small sense of normalcy. She was among the residents who received food relief from the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI) during its operations in the hardest-hit communities.
The uncertainty ahead is heavy, yet she holds on to hope. As immediate relief arrives, the next chapter of rebuilding and restoring what was lost comes next.
Standing with the Community
It was a call of duty. Barangay Captain Nelia Cabatingan of Cabadiangan carried the weight of her community as the typhoon approached. She prepared her residents and called for evacuation. She cleared roads and informed families through rekurida. She knew the danger, yet nothing could prepare her and the community for the force of the flood.
“First time in history sa akong kinabuhi, imposible nga mahitabo. Kanang nakakita ko sa nahitabo diri, maka ingon ko nga mura nag tapuson sa Ginoo ang kalibutan. Pirti gyung dakoa sa tubig,” she recalled.
With limited supplies, Capt. Nelia provided food to evacuees on credit from the barangay store. She kept going even as resources ran low. Support arrived from government partners, private groups, and organizations like RAFI.
“Dako namong pasalamat on behalf sa Barangay. Daghan kaayong nitabang namo. Manghinaot mi nga ang Ginoo na ang mubalos sa tanan. Unta tagaan sila ug grasya ug maayong panglawas,” she expressed. She hopes for a day when her community canrebuild their homes with dignity. She welcomes any support in the form of housing materials.
One dream, that she hopes is that her community will be able to build back their homes and they would gladly accept donations of housing materials.
It has been indeed a difficult time for Cebuanos. Yet hope continues to rise in quiet ways. It rises in every relief pack handed out, in every person who chooses to help, and in every family who keeps holding on. RAFI hopes that these acts of support give families the courage to restore what they lost and recover from these difficult moments.
