78% of monthly rainfall falls on Davao Region in 24 hours; bridge collapses in Callawa, Davao City
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/19 May 2026)– Almost a whole month’s worth of rain fell over the Davao Region in a span of 24 hours, the Office of Civil Defense said.
In an advisory sent on its official Facebook Page at 5:19 p.m., 19 May, the OCD XI said the highest recorded rainfall, on the evening of 18 May, amounted to 129 millimeters, according to data from the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.
The rainfall translates to almost 80% of the annual monthly precipitation average for the region.
The rains, according to several advisories from various disaster councils and response teams, were a result of an Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and Easterlies.
The Regional Disaster Risk Response and Management Council XI said it was on heightened alert amid continuous rains.
As of 8 p.m., the agency has not yet released a full report regarding flooding, landslides, infrastructure damage, and power interruptions but posted a social media card with a partial accounting of the effects as of 18 May 2026.
“Concerned RDRRMC XI member agencies and local government units continue to conduct monitoring, response coordination, and relief operations to ensure the immediate needs and safety of affected communities are addressed promptly. Inter-agency coordination also remains active as assessments continue,” the council said.
The City Government of Davao suspended work and classes Tuesday morning.
According to the RDRRMC, there were at least seven flooded barangays, two landslides, two collapsed structures, and affected at least 357 families and 1,469 individuals.
Only one casualty has been reported so far.
Electricity is still being restored to 11 barangays that lost power as a result of the heavy rains.
A bridge that connected portions of Barangay Callawa in Davao City to other parts of Barangay Mandug also collapsed.
The bridge, located in an area in Purok 2, Callawa called Secret Village, fell into a small tributary of the Davao River.
The bridge collapsed around 1 a.m., locals said.
To get across, locals are forced to climb up a steep crumbling embankment to get to what’s left of the bridge.
But to climb up on one side of the embankment, locals would first have to endure a short walk downhill from the Eastern embankment side, then hop on the damaged bridge, before pulling themselves up with a rope toward the other embankment.
The bridge connects Buhangin to barangays Callawa, Calinan, Maa, and Magtuod and from Callawa to the downtown area, Buhangin, Tibungko, and Bunawan.
It connects vital portions of the city’s second and third districts.
The bridge is also within an alternate route from Davao City’s Calinan area to Panabo.
With the bridge destroyed, motorists would have to take an alternate route that is several kilometers longer. Or otherwise use the 20 millimeter repurposed orange pressure hose in climbing up or down to the bridge.
Those with cargo, however, face more problems.
Two men wondered how they could deliver their sacks of fertilizer from the downtown area towards Callawa. The rappel is doable, however, there are sacks of fertilizers to think of.
The bridge was referred to by media that first identified the bridge as the Callawa-Mandug Bridge. MindaNews is still searching for publicly available and verifiable information on the project; the one that appears online for the “Callawa-Mandug” bridge is instead the one that connects Callawa and Pangyan, a few kilometers away.
As representatives of the City Disaster Risk Response and Management Office investigated the structure, it was not clear whether this was a city project or whether this was a project by the Department of Public Works and Highways XI. (Yas D. Ocampo/MindaNews)
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