Cagayan after Crising: 2,000 displaced families, P17 million in agri-fisheries damage

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Baggao and Gattaran are among the most affected municipalities

CAGAYAN, Philippines – Tropical Storm Crising (international name: Wipha) forced more 2,000 families to evacuate and caused an estimated P17 million in losses to the agriculture and fisheries sector in this province.

Data from the Cagayan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) showed 2,079 families or 6,634 individuals were displaced from 139 flood-stricken barangays.

Baggao and Gattaran were among the most affected municipalities, with 612 families (1,667 individuals) and 450 families (1,576 individuals) displaced, respectively.

EVACUATION: Families in Peñablanca, Cagayan, leave their homes to seek safety on higher ground during the onslaught of Tropical Storm Crising in July 2025. MDRRMO-Penablañca photo

Based on the partial damage report from the Office of Provincial Agriculturist (OPA), Tropical Storm Crising left the agriculture and fisheries sectors with aP17,644,262.08 loss, broken down as follows:

• Rice: P12,218,958.482 (705 hectares, 2,208 farmers affected)
• Corn: P425,303.60 (159.50 hectares, 240 farmers affected)
• Fisheries: P5,000,000 (150 fisherfolk affected)

Downstream Cagayan towns bore the brunt of agricultural losses, with Aparri recording the highest at P7,079,721.06 in rice crops.

Forced harvest of fish

The coastal town of Buguey was the sole municipality to report fisheries losses.

A large-scale “forced harvest” of approximately 25 metric tons (MT) of “Malaga” fish occurred in the town, leading to an estimated P5-million loss in value.

According to fish cage owners, Crising’s heavy rains affected the saltwater salinity in their commercial fish cages, prompting them to harvest their “Malaga” fish early in the season.

This led to an oversupply, resulting in local fisherfolk struggling to find markets and buyers.

In response, the local government of Buguey coordinated with the Cagayan provincial government to purchase the “Malaga” fish to help local fisherfolk while providing food for storm-affected residents in the province.

Tuguegarao City was among the first local government units (LGUs) to receive its share, distributing 1,000 kilograms of the fish to its residents on July 19.

Meanwhile, as of 11 pm on Saturday, July 19, no casualties have been reported. However, according to the PDRRMO, they would continue monitoring for updates as they await the situational reports of the 29 LGUs in the province. – Rappler.com

Roland Andam Jr. is a BS Accountancy graduate from Cagayan State University-Andrews Campus. An Aries Rufo Journalism Fellow of Rappler for 2025, he was also the editor in chief of The CSU Communicator.