CALBAYOG CITY — Two days after Typhoon Uwan made its closest pass within 60 kilometers of Western Samar, port engineers in Catbalogan are still measuring the damage. A 38-meter section of the city's main wharf has collapsed into the channel, leaving fishing boats unable to berth and crews idle since Tuesday.

The Coast Guard's Western Samar district confirmed Saturday morning that sea travel between Calbayog and the outlying islands remains suspended pending a structural assessment. "We have boats waiting, but we cannot send them out until the channel is cleared and the wharf is stabilized," said Lt. JG Carmen Velasquez of PCG District 8.

" We need to be clear that the wharf section failed before this administration. Inspections show the masonry has been compromised since at least 2018. — Engr. A. Manlapaz, Calbayog Port Authority

The city government has issued a statement denying responsibility for the structural failure, pointing to two Commission on Audit reports from 2019 and 2021 that flagged the wharf for urgent maintenance. The administration says funding requests were pending with the Philippine Ports Authority at the time the typhoon made landfall.

What residents are saying

In Barangay San Policarpo, 64-year-old fisherman Romulo Padayhag has not been able to put a boat in the water for three days. "My family eats from what I catch," he said. "Three days is already too long. If we cannot fish next week, I will need to borrow from the cooperative just to buy rice."

The cooperative he refers to is one of seven registered fisherfolk associations in the city — collectively representing about 1,200 households across coastal barangays. President Liza Tagaytay said the cooperatives plan to file a formal request with the city for an emergency cash-for-work program covering the days the port remains closed.

The structural question

Engineers from the Department of Public Works and Highways arrived Friday afternoon to inspect the collapsed section. Their initial assessment, shared with The Calbayog Journal late Friday, identifies three contributing factors: deterioration of the original 1978 masonry; insufficient maintenance dredging that allowed sediment buildup against the wharf's base; and a wave surge during Uwan that produced lateral pressure exceeding the wharf's original design tolerance.

DPWH Regional Director Rita Cabugao said the agency is prepared to coordinate emergency repairs but that a permanent reconstruction will require legislative funding and a formal turnover from the Philippine Ports Authority — both processes that historically take 18 to 24 months.

Looking ahead

City Hall has called a special session of the Sangguniang Panlungsod for Monday to discuss emergency appropriations. Mayor Ronaldo Aquino is expected to propose a ₱28-million transfer from the city's calamity fund to cover temporary timber decking and a 90-day dredging contract.

For the families in San Policarpo and Capoocan watching the news from porches that still leak from Uwan's rain, the political mechanics matter less than the timeline. "Just tell me when I can fish again," Padayhag said. "That is all I need to know."