Opong rips off roofs, topples trees in Masbate towns

Severe Tropical Storm Opong battered several Masbate towns early Friday, September 26, 2025, tearing off roofs, toppling trees, and flooding low-lying areas as strong winds and heavy rains lashed the province. INQUIRER FILES

LEGAZPI CITY—Severe Tropical Storm Opong battered several Masbate towns early Friday, tearing off roofs, toppling trees, and flooding low-lying areas as strong winds and heavy rains lashed the province.

Chris Jo Adigue, head of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) in Palanas, said many houses were damaged while debris from fallen trees blocked major roads.

“At 4:20 a.m., the winds were strong, then suddenly calmed. We even joked that we might be in the eye of ‘Opong.’ But by 4:32, the winds picked up again and everything was falling,” Adigue told the Inquirer.

He said the villages of Poblacion, Sta. Cruz, Bontod, and nearby areas were submerged in floodwaters, while toppled trees damaged several homes and buildings. More than 1,000 residents had been evacuated on Thursday ahead of the storm.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Opong made its second landfall in Masbate at 4 a.m. Friday, after first striking San Policarpo, Eastern Samar, at 11:30 p.m. Thursday.

READ: Severe Tropical Storm Opong makes second landfall

As of 7 a.m., the storm was spotted over the coastal waters of Mandaon town, packing maximum sustained winds of 110 kilometers per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 150 kph. It was moving west-northwest at 30 kph.

In Mobo town, strong winds also destroyed homes, while the village of Tabuc and the surrounding areas were inundated.

Clearing operations have begun in affected towns after the winds subsided./coa