By Neil Jerome Morales
Nov 9, 2025 – Super typhoon Fung-Wong hit the northeast of the Philippines late on Sunday, bringing winds of 185 kilometers per hour (115 miles per hour) and gusts reaching 230 kph, according to local officials cited by the Associated Press.
The storm was expected to affect up to two-thirds of the archipelago with its extensive rain and wind band spanning 1,800 kilometers. It made landfall in Dinalungan town, Aurora province.
Fung-Wong, known locally as Uwan, has already caused two fatalities and led to the evacuation of over a million people as it approached the area.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced that government work would be suspended in the capital region and nearby provinces on Monday, with classes at all levels canceled until Tuesday. Private businesses can decide on their operations, according to an official statement.
Almost 1.18 million people were evacuated ahead of the storm, as reported by Civil Defense Deputy Administrator Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro in a briefing.
One person drowned in a flash flood in Viga town, Catanduanes province. In Catbalogan City, a 64-year-old woman fell from a makeshift wooden bridge and was swept away by strong waves, according to a city disaster official who spoke to DZBB radio station.
The latest bulletin from the weather bureau Pagasa, issued at 8 p.m. local time, warned of "a high risk of life-threatening and damaging storm surge with peak heights exceeding three meters" in low-lying or exposed coastal areas over the next 48 hours.
This is the second deadly storm to hit the Philippines in the past week, following Typhoon Kalmaegi, which resulted in over 200 deaths. The recent storms have highlighted an unfolding corruption scandal concerning the government’s billion-peso flood control projects, sparking public outrage.
The weather bureau also cautioned about heavy rainfall, strong winds, and storm surges in regions far from the storm's landfall. Fung-Wong is classified as a "very strong typhoon" and is nearing the "violent typhoon" category according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
"As the sea waves grow stronger, our residents see their homes made of light materials destroyed. Their belongings are now floating in the water," reported Congressman Jose Teves about his hometown Baras in Catanduanes during an earlier interview on DZRH radio. "It’s a sad situation for us."
Nearly 400 flights, mostly domestic, have been canceled or diverted from November 8-10, as per the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.
Public events, including church services and basketball games in the capital region, which includes Manila, have also been called off.
The Philippines experiences around 20 cyclones each year, making it one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world.
(Updates with storm making landfall in first paragraph)