Acantilado Editorial Cartoon

Angeline S.
Acantilado
BAPOS 1-A
Angeline S. Acantilado
BAPOS 1-A
The Face of Philippine Typhoons
2020- The last quarter of by far the world’s most catastrophic year in the century has
even been more disastrous for the Philippines, as the country was struck with consecutive
typhoons Quinta, Ulysses, and Super Typhoon Rolly that led to fatalities and severe damages
to property.
As our fellow Filipinos cried and pleaded for help, different kinds of responses were
given- some, of sympathy and empathy, while others are better left unsaid.
Typhoons are a natural phenomenon that occur frequently and regularly in the country.
Given its geographic location, situated along the typhoon belt, surrounded by huge bodies of
water such as the Pacific Ocean, the Philippines experiences some of the greatest number of
typhoons every year. For this reason, the previous governments have made calamity response
a priority, especially allotting funds for the relief and recovery of affected areas.
Characterized by rainfall, heavy winds, landslides, and flooding, some of the most
disastrous typhoons in the past two decades were Typhoon Frank (2008) that took 1,371 lives
and left 87 people missing, Typhoon Ondoy (2009) that amounted to P 11 billion damages to
agriculture and infrastructure, and Typhoon Yolanda (2013) that with a casualty of 6,300
people, leaving 1061 missing. Consequent to this, laws on the reduction management of
calamities were signed. Particularly, the Republic Act 10121, known as the Philippine Disaster
Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 given the scope to “provide for the development
of policies and plans and the implementation of actions and measures pertaining to all aspects
of disaster risk reduction and management, including good governance, risk assessment and
early warning, knowledge building and awareness raising, reducing underlying risk factors,
and preparedness for effective response and early recovery.”
Despite the signing into act of RA 10121 in 2010, we can still say our country still lacks
preparedness for disasters, especially typhoons, as we were ultimately unprepared for Yolanda
and the proceeding typhoons up to present. Most especially, we were not ready for the
occurrence of past year’s typhoons under the present administration.
Little response was given on the early onset of last year’s typhoons, and the country
even seemed to not expect tremendous damages as there had been a clear lack of advisory from
government agencies on the terrors that were about to enter the Philippine Area of
Responsibility (PAR). Because of this, a huge amount of dissent rose through different media
platforms, with people stating that the Duterte administration failed to promote the safety and
welfare of Filipinos amidst calamities and disasters.
It can be recalled that for the year 2020, the National Calamity Fund was reduced to 16
billion pesos, 4 billion less than the Senate’s proposal of 20 billion. The calamity fund was one
of the lesser priorities of the national government for the year, in contrast to the intelligence
funds allocated for the Philippine National Police and its correspondents. Furthermore, the
same administration also defunded Project NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment of
Hazards) in 2017, which was meant to utilize disaster risk mitigation technologies and
management services provided by different government departments in science and
technology.
Angeline S. Acantilado
BAPOS 1-A
Furthermore, government response to typhoons of the past years have also been rated
negative, for coordination between the responsible agencies were slow and late. Worse, some
officials even cared more for public exposure, rather than helping those affected. In the end,
despite coordination and assistance from those who were genuinely concerned, the lack of
sympathy of many government officials still hurt many people, especially those who lost their
loved ones.
Typhoons are not new to Filipinos. Over the years, we have indeed been resilient and
did our best to rise through the adversities. We have been helping each other out through
donation drives, prayers and spreading awareness. However, our resiliency should not be a
reason for the government to neglect their duties towards protecting and serving the people.
The face of Philippine typhoons is a reflection, not only of how well the Filipino people
are able to handle calamities and disasters, but also how abuse and neglect can be propagated
by the same people who are supposed to eradicate them. While our brothers and sisters across
different areas were submerged in flood waters, some officials could audaciously state that they
are comfortable in the confines of their own homes, with their roofs and walls intact. While our
fellow Filipinos were raising whatever they can to provide support for those who had many
losses, some local government units even refused and rejected help, pointing out numerous
reasons of doing so.
In the end, typhoons, and calamities in general are something that are embedded in our
existence as citizens of the Philippines. We may not be able to put a stop to calamities, but we
could always create a government that will uphold our safety and protection above all. As
Filipinos, may calamities that come our way always remind us that preparedness and
prevention should always become a priority, and that it is also our responsibility to ensure that
the people we give authority to look after us, also hold the same regard from calamity and
disaster preparedness.

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Angeline S.

The Face of Philippine Typhoons

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