here was not a single year in my entire school life when classes were not suspended because of a typhoon. Fortunately, I was one of those people privileged enough to have leaped in joy because of the typhoon, thinking how blessed I was to not do my homework and be free for a day. I was also one of those people privileged enough to have never worried about getting my shoes wet or getting my umbrella turned over because of the wind. I was one of those kids who was chaperoned by a personal service and never had to commute during a rainy day — not even once.
Unfortunately, my privileged experiences do not represent the reality of what happens during a typhoon in the Philippines. It is impossible to be a Filipino and not hear about people scrambling to their rooftops waiting for rescue. Then comes the montage of smiling Filipinos, seemingly happy of the flood — portraying the image of a ‘resilient nation’ that no amount of disaster could ever shake.
It is time to debunk the Filipino resiliency because there is nothing morally right about uplifting it when people are not exactly given a choice but to be resilient.Calamities happen every year in our country, yet the response to them do not modernize.
Before we address disaster response, we have to acknowledge the facts that govern a disaster prone country.
By acknowledging facts, it means we recognize the social and scientific rationales behind calamities and do what must be done. Such examples are the need to increase our disaster budget, systemized and synchronized local and national government response, environmental reforms, and strengthened community coordination among others.
In the current administration, disaster budgets have been questionable. Back in 2017, the Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (NOAH) was defunded. The project was the most promising disaster response system in the country.
The project NOAH made use of a centralized system meant to warn communities at least six hours ahead of a natural calamity. It was a project that had goals to develop 3D flood and hazard maps, identify landslide-prone areas, create wave surge models, and build a network that could properly disseminate information to communities.
The project also launched three mobile apps civilians could use. The first app was the ProjectNOAH. It was followed by Arko, which centered on rainfall and flood/hazard updates; and WebSAFE, which primarily focused on the impact of disasters such as the number of people stranded in a building.
With the recent Typhoon Ulysses, many people have expressed their grievances for the defunding of project NOAH, claiming it could have been extremely useful during the typhoon — especially now that ABS-CBN, one of the largest media companies in the country has been shut down.
Meanwhile, according to a Harvard study on the 2013 Typhoon Haiyan response, although the Philippines has institutionalized approaches to disasters, the varying capacity of the government is the problem. This pertains to the lack of resources and skills in the ground level, thus, resulting to a poor operation holistically.
During the Typhoon Ulysses, the opening of the Magat Dam drew intense flak because it was reportedly one of the main factors that contributed to the submerging of villages in Cagayan and Isabela. This is a good example of the lack of anticipating adversities and proper coordination.
This was made even more evident when top government officials provided varying death tolls from the typhoon within a span of less than an hour. This happened during a Cabinet-level meeting of the Natural Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). The disparity was later on blamed on delays in the ground level — all the more reason to address the need for a better operation.
Meanwhile, environment issues also play a significant role in natural calamities. The lack of forest protection efforts against illegal logging and mining showed drastic effects in Cagayan Valley. In a calamity such as a typhoon, it is only wise to do proactive measures in safeguarding the environment as it serves as a natural protection for communities.
As for community engagement, it is also important for individuals to not desensitize the effects of an incoming typhoon. Proactive measures must be done properly and orderly.
Lastly, as with any disaster, it cannot be helped to still need some rescue operations. In this case, not only do we need better training, we also need better ways for our people to voice their dilemmas in a time of crisis. We need better technology such as mobile applications and other communication services. This will make it easier on rescue teams to save lives.
Typhoons and other disasters are so natural to us that they are already part of the Philippine identity. It is a must we listen to facts now and build a better, proactive, and systemized response. In this way, Filipinos would not have to settle for not having a choice but to be resilient.