Dilubyo

It was a deluge never to be forgotten.

Being stranded for three days and nights at SM Naga City with a thousand other evacuees, with vehicles of all types parked on every floor, was a nightmare. The extreme storm Kristine now turned into a typhoon, was a worse experience. But, being holed up inside the second-level Food Court at SM was a blessing, thanks to the management led by Mall Manager Jeanette de Vera, who opted to keep its Emergency Generator running, helping the life of the stranded less miserable. A little air conditioning and free gadget charging helped everyone connect to their families and the news outside.  I was able to help coordinate disaster response efforts with the TBM and Mariners and other group chats.

But for millions of other Bicolanos in the middle of Kristine’s onslaught, it was devastation of unprecedented scale. I have not gone home yet. That is another story to be told, as are others who lost their homes, families, relatives, friends, livelihood, and, for some, their future.

In hindsight, the Regional Social Enterprises Summit conveners canceled the scheduled October 25-26 at the Atrium, CBSUA, Pili, Camarines Sur. It was a quick, timely decision.

Leaving the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) last Sunday, severe tropical storm-turned typhoon Kristine left behind at least 116 persons dead, with 6.7 million individuals or 1.6M families displaced by the inclement weather or flooding of whom 516,687 stayed at evacuation centers aside from 419,000 who took shelter elsewhere. In Bicol, police reports said at least 39 were feared dead, with 28 others injured and four reported missing and counting.

Initial damage to agriculture reached more than PhP3.5 billion ( as of this writing). Meanwhile, 37,795 farmers and fishermen lost their livelihood, and their numbers are still increasing as reports continue to come in. Subdivisions like Camella Homes in Naga City submerged, with some reported dead of drowning. Two days ago, reports were that Camarines Sur bore the brunt of agricultural damage at PhP1.027 billion, followed by Albay with PhP403 million; Masbate, PhP264 million; Camarines Norte, PhP226 million; Sorsogon, PhP108 million; and Catanduanes, PhP70.98 million. The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said 24,522 houses were damaged, with 2,053 classified as “totally damaged” and 22,469 as “partially damaged.”

After the deluge, investigations

What happened? Billions of pesos were spent on flood control projects and infrastructure, and so many so-called government think tanks and so-called funded NGOs looked after the poor. What went wrong? Is funding a problem? Is there a lack of experts and good planners?

This week, senators demanded a full accounting of the PhP132 billion Bicol flood control budget following the widespread flooding in the region. One senator said it is unacceptable that a whopping PhP132 billion was allocated to Bicol specifically for flood control projects, and yet “communities remain inundated, and families are suffering.” The 2024 General Appropriations Act reveals that Bicol received PhP31.94 billion this year alone, bringing the six-year total to nearly PhP133 billion. Despite the vast allocation, Typhoon Kristine has once again left the region in crisis, exposing inadequate infrastructure and critical gaps in flood mitigation.

The results of the recent holocaust show telltale signs. Riding through several barangays of Canaman town for some food distribution this week unveiled the wrath spawned by the typhoon. Both sides of the road showed signs of floods that uprooted whole communities – people, houses, ricefields - forcing people to encamp dangerously along both sides of the road with their houses remaining underwater, at the edge of starvation, waiting for donations and other forms of relief to come by. As expected, some came from trucks hired by politicians (isn’t the next mid-term election nearby?). Typically, Filipinos resist begging and would instead fend for themselves, but in crises like this, one is forced to swallow his pride and take donations.

20 typhoons, good governance, and resilience

It’s a known fact that an average of 20 typhoons swagger through Bicol, bringing floods, deaths, and damage to property – while leaving household savings lost, only to be replaced by a sense of hopelessness. As an overseas worker, Bicol has only about 70,000 people, or 1.7 percent of the household population, who are 15 years old and over. Bicol is poor enough in Luzon, with Camarines Sur the poorest province with a poverty incidence of 38.7 percent. The Philippines is No. 1 among 193 countries ranked by the World Risk Index for the third consecutive year with the highest disaster risk from extreme natural events and adverse climate change impacts.#Kristine made us poorer.

Today, Bicol is vulnerable to the effects of climate change, including floods, droughts, and typhoons. Despite the massive budget allocations, Bicol continues to suffer from extreme flooding. There are more questions than answers.Why? Let us be part of the solution, not the problem makers. When will reform come? Nobody can predict. Only typhoons are predictable. Yet, change is in our hands. We need to change the landscape now.