The mayor of Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro has appealed for urgent food assistance as the town is hit with devastating floods that submerged much of the municipality.

Mayor Glicerio “EK” Almero III told a radio station on Sunday that stores across the town have been stripped bare, leaving residents struggling to find basic necessities.

“Our request is for food because we are really running out,” Almero said in Filipino. “Some stores have nothing left to sell.”

The crisis stems from flooding caused by Tropical Storm Crising and the enhanced southwest monsoon (habagat), which has affected over 42,000 individuals across 132 barangays in Palawan and Occidental Mindoro. Oriental Mindoro, on the other hand, has also been placed under state of calamity.

In Mamburao specifically, 30 barangays were submerged after several days of torrential rainfall caused rivers to overflow.

“Our rivers are completely saturated,” the mayor explained, describing how the entire town was inundated when waterways burst their banks.

The municipality has declared a state of calamity as damage estimates reach P55 million pesos, with agricultural losses alone accounting for P40 million pesos. 

Some 1,223 hectares of rice fields remain underwater, while many roads are still impassable.

Approximately 2,000 residents are currently sheltering in evacuation centers, showing the scale of displacement in the town of roughly 45,000 people.

Almero acknowledged that municipal funds are insufficient to meet the overwhelming needs, with the local government already operating at a deficit even before the disaster struck.

“Right now our municipality is also in deficit,” the mayor said. “The municipality really cannot handle everything. We are appealing to national agencies and individuals who can help our town rise again.”

The mayor stressed the urgency of the situation: “Regardless of the amount of help, it is badly needed.”

In a Facebook post on Sunday, Almero detailed his personal efforts to distribute aid house-to-house in several barangays, explaining why some fishing families were not initially included in assistance lists compiled by the Municipal Agriculturist.

“Even though it’s Sunday, according to our directive, we prioritized giving some help to residents of Barangays 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8,” Almero wrote in Filipino, noting that officials conducted door-to-door visits to avoid forcing residents to leave their homes during continued rainfall.

The mayor used the social media platform to address concerns raised by Barangay Captain Susan Bondad about the distribution process. 

“Our funds are limited because you know our municipality is in financial deficit and until now we still cannot find funds,” Almero wrote. “Given the magnitude of damage from three consecutive storms, we cannot provide for everyone.”

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has already dispatched aid, but Secretary Rex Gatchalian has pledged additional support following the mayor’s public appeals. The DSWD confirmed it will coordinate with local officials to deploy 2,000 more family food packs to affected residents.

“We secured another 2,000 food packs to give to our countrymen through our coordination with Secretary Rex Gatchalian and Regional Director Leo Reynoso of DSWD,” Almero announced on Facebook, thanking the officials after they responded to his radio interviews.

Regional Director Leo Reynoso personally confirmed the additional assistance after witnessing the mayor’s appeals during broadcast interviews.

Although provincial and national agencies have provided initial relief, Almero stressed that the aid remains insufficient given the scale of need, particularly among families who have lost their livelihoods entirely.

The Department of Public Works and Highways recently completed flood control structures near Occidental Mindoro State College in Mamburao, but the recent deluge has tested the limits of such protective measures.

Photos: courtesy of Mayor Atty. EK Almero Page and PIO Occidental Mindoro