Floody Deaths and the Crocodiles

The month of November for the Philippines has been full of natural disasters as two consecutive typhoons hit the country. Typhoon Tino affected the Visayas area last November 2 then Super Typhoon Uwan made a landfall in Aurora last November 9. A total of eight days in between the two typhoons that caused massive flash floods, landslides, damages to properties, and loss of lives that can never be replaced.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported 232 deaths due to Typhoon Tino. Meanwhile, Typhoon Uwan caused the death of 18 people from Luzon. Many families have lost their loved ones and experienced a traumatic situation as they tried to survive the flash floods. Knowing about all the deaths and  extensive damages caused by the typhoon, it got me thinking if it could have been prevented? Are the lives of the Filipinos who died during the typhoon could be saved?

Crocodiles and Clowns are safe and dry

While the people of Cebu and other areas are being devastated by Typhoon Tino, seven mayors and a board member from Cebu were in the United Kingdom. A total list of 24 local officials was released by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). Under the Local Government Code of the Philippines, Local Officials are mandated to head disaster aid and relief efforts. There is still no official announcement yet about an official being guilty of violating the law, but it speaks a lot for their incompetency and negligence to their constituents. A typhoon can be forecasted and it is announced days before it hits the mainland, so there is no reason for them to justify leaving their communities behind. 

Aside from having unreliable public officials, Cebu also has a controversial real estate development located in a mountainside of Barangay Guadalupe, the Monterazzas de Cebu by Slater Young. It is being blamed for worsening the floods in Cebu because they literally created structures in the mountain. The funny thing is this “Banaue Rice Terraces” inspired project has been publicized since 2023, yet only two years after it became a hot topic because of  the death of Cebuanos, it is being probed. Does someone really need to die first or does a tragedy need to happen before the government will take action?

Meanwhile, Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro posted on facebook about the alleged PHP 26 billion budget for flood control in their province, yet Cebu is flooded and has a high death toll. Everyone deserves to be remembered and justice must be served because if there are no anomalous flood control projects and if these funded projects are really existing, then dying due to flood could have been prevented. 

Fantasizing Filipino Resiliency

Filipinos are known for being resilient to every calamity. I can always see comments on news reports about how Filipinos smile amidst the disasters. But this character of Filipinos should not be taken advantage of, the community deserves better action from the government regarding preparing and responding to natural disasters, especially to typhoons that we always experience.

The bravery of the fifteen-year-old Jayboy Magdadaro who rescued over 50 people in his barangay during the typhoon is really commendable. But it is not truly good to hear that a teenager undergoes this kind of  incident.

Filipinos deserve better. We deserve accountability, competent officials, better projects, and justice for all of the unjustness happening to our country. Typhoons are naturally destructive but in our present day, there are many technologies or systems that we can do to prevent its invasive effect. 

This occurrence must serve as a reminder for us to elect public servants who care for our country, know how to lead a community competently, and hold them accountable for their actions. Remember, citizens have the power to put them in their position, reclaim their power, give it to the right one.

References

Dumalag, G. (2025, November 11). Typhoon Uwan death toll climbs to 18 — OCD. News. Retrieved November 14, 2025, from https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2138007/fwd-death-toll-of-typhoon-uwan-rises-to-18-ocd

Flores, D. N. (2025, November 7). Slater Young's Monterrazas project under DENR review after Cebu floods. Philippine Star. Retrieved November 14, 2025, from https://www.philstar.com/headlines/climate-and-environment/2025/11/07/2485524/denr-probes-slater-youngs-monterrazas-de-cebu-after-typhoon-tino-floods

Nepomuceno, P. (2025, November 11). Tino death toll climbs to 232, over 100 still missing. Philippine News Agency. Retrieved November 14, 2025, from https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1262999

Palace: 343 flood control projects implemented in Cebu since 2016. (2025, November 6). Philippine Star. Retrieved November 14, 2025, from https://www.philstar.com/the-freeman/cebu-news/2025/11/06/2485185/palace-343-flood-control-projects-implemented-cebu-2016

Palace probing local officials who traveled abroad despite Tino, Uwan onslaught. (2025, November 10). ABS-CBN. Retrieved November 14, 2025, from https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2025/11/10/dilg-to-probe-cebu-officials-who-went-abroad-despite-tino-threat-1520

Philippines: Tropical Cyclones Kalmaegi/Tino and Fung-Wong/Uwan - Flash Update No. 2 (As of 11 November, 11 p.m. local time) - Philippines. (2025, November 11). ReliefWeb. Retrieved November 14, 2025, from https://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/philippines-tropical-cyclones-kalmaegitino-and-fung-wonguwan-flash-update-no-2-11-november-11-pm-local-time

Teenager rescues over 50 people in Liloan, Cebu amid Typhoon Tino. (2025, November 11). GMA Network. Retrieved November 14, 2025, from https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/regions/965771/teenager-rescues-over-50-people-in-liloan-cebu-amid-typhoon-tino/story/

24 LGU officials left PH without foreign travel authority before typhoons - DILG. (2025, November 12). ABS-CBN. Retrieved November 14, 2025, from https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/11/12/24-lgu-officials-left-ph-without-foreign-travel-authority-before-typhoons-dilg-1031