ESSAY: Filipino resilience, until when?

GMA Network

4 days ago

The Philippines, located in the so-called 'Pacific Typhoon Belt,' faces around 20 tropical cyclones each year, eight to nine of which strike land according to PAGASA, exposing it to repeated destruction.
The Pacific Typhoon Belt is the area where the highest number of the world's typhoons are formed.
The most recent typhoon to affect the Philippines was Typhoon Emong (international name: Co‑May), which made landfall over Pangasinan in the Ilocos Region late on July 24, 2025. It brought maximum sustained winds of approximately 120 km/h, with gusts reaching 165 km/h.
Emong intensified ongoing monsoon rains, dumping over 200 mm of rainfall across parts of northern Luzon. PAGASA downgraded it to a tropical depression before it exited the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) early on July 26, 2025. Its heavy rains, compounded by already saturated ground, triggered deadly floods and landslides.
As of July 28, 2025, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported that the combined effects of Emong and earlier storms, including Crising (Wipha), Dante, and the enhanced southwest monsoon had affected over 6.27 million people. The total death toll had risen to 31, with 7 missing, 17 injured, and 1,652 homes destroyed and another 13,387 partially damaged.
Prior to Emong, Severe Tropical Storm (STS) Crising developed in the waters east of Luzon and exited the PAR on July 19, 2025. It had maximum sustained winds of 100 km/h and gustiness up to 125 km/h.
Although STS Crising did not make landfall, it brought significant rainfall to many parts of the country, especially Metro Manila and most of Luzon. Aside from the rains brought by the typhoon, its effects were intensified by the interaction with the southwest monsoon, or habagat.
The damage to the infrastructure sector was estimated to have reached over P791.97 million. It affected 17 regions: Region 1, Region 2, CAR, Region 3, NCR, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, Region 5, Region 6, NIR, Region 7, Region 9, Region 10, Region 11, Region 12, CARAGA, and the BARMM.
While PAGASA has yet to release a consolidated report on the rainwater volume produced by the combined effects of habagat and recent storms, the persistent rains have already caused widespread flooding across the country, especially in urban areas.
This has disrupted the mobility of the transport sector, affecting thousands of jobs of the working class not only in Metro Manila but also in the flood-prone provincial areas.
Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has distributed over P514 million worth of assistance to 620,788 families affected.
Every year, when the country is hit by cyclones, thousand are affected, and the burden falls heaviest on those at the margins of society. The government responds promptly by distributing food relief and deploying rescue operations.
The government seems to have mastered these types of interventions during calamities. But the deeper question is, where do we go from there?
The Filipino people have suffered and endured more than enough, and now more than ever, the people must call for accountability from those in power.
Gone are the days of romanticizing resilience. The true essence of leadership is not measured by how many families are evacuated or how quickly relief packs are distributed during every storm. Leadership in times of calamity must be defined by how effectively disasters are prevented and lives protected, before the floodwaters rise.
Weather-induced calamities are a recurring problem in the Philippines. Both national and local governments must work together to create sustainable, proactive solutions.
Urban development planning should not be viewed solely as the responsibility of local government units. The national government must also intervene by providing technical expertise and support.
We always say, 'We will rise again,' and each year, we rise from the same old difficulties. Again, the question is: where do we go from here? Is resiliency once again the answer? But next year, Filipinos will surely face the same dilemma. Time and time again, we always speak of Filipino resilience, but until when?