WHAT MORE COULD HAVE BEEN DONE?
by Mark Vincent Durano, FEU Advocate
For a president, hoping for no casualties and praying for everyone’s safety cannot be an option when a country with a long history of floods is drowning. In addition to the millions of Filipinos affected, almost half a million displaced, and 81 lives lost due to Severe Tropical Storm Kristine, President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. has once again demonstrated the government’s ill-preparedness for disasters — perpetuated by man-made exploitation.
“All we can do is sit tight, wait, hope, and pray that there’s not too much damage, that there are no casualties”, Marcos said in a meeting in Malacañang. However, it is important to remember that hope and prayers should not be stagnant. To achieve effective disaster control in the country, the government could have done much more than just sit tight.
The Bicol Region was one of the areas hit hardest by STS Kristine. Data from the local environment and natural resources office show that 135 government-approved quarrying sites exist in Albay, including Peter’s Built Quarry, Bicol Golden Aggregates Corporation, and Vulc Quarry Operations. These operations are joint moneymilking ventures of private corporations and local governments. These compromise the safety of rural communities–leave them vulnerable to flashfloods, lahar flows, and landslides — and impose danger on locals in the long run.
Farther north, in the nestles of Sierra Madre, Masungi Georeserve and the Upper Marikina Watershed areas also face the same threats that reflect a rising trend of worsening flood conditions amid land exploitation. This not only indicates failure to prevent harsher effects of climate change but also failure to protect and conserve natural resources at all costs.
In his 2024 State of the Nation Address, the president himself recognized the importance of disaster preparedness. He even boasted about the construction of around a hundred evacuation centers and 5,500 flood control projects — begging the question of why the persistent effects of disasters continue.
With a P244.7 billion budget for flood control projects, Marcos Jr. still fails to address what should have been anticipated from the inevitable effects of natural disasters. These public funds must be allocated properly, with a focus on improving emergency responses and recovery periods.
Resiliency has been romanticized for as long as the government relies on hope and prayers. While it serves as a last resort, no one can blame the affected individuals who struggle to find strength in adverse moments. The Marcos Jr. administration, which allows environmental exploitation, should not simply sit tight.
The country needs to break free from the cycle of rising, falling, and then rising again — an effort that requires true compassion and a sense of urgency. Moving forward will necessitate a collective effort to demand accountability for all the catastrophes that have wrecked lives, not only during STS Kristine. #
