When the Storms Come, What Have We Learned?

Every September, Filipinos brace for the familiar rhythm of typhoons. This month of 2025 has been no different families wading through floodwaters, homes washed away by landslides, and classrooms turned into evacuation centers. These images are not new to us, yet they still cut deep, for they remind us that disasters are no longer exceptional events but an annual chapter in our national story.

The government has long spoken of preparedness, yet how prepared are we really? Yes, our agencies issue advisories, relief goods are deployed, and local governments mobilize. But after every storm, we are left asking the same questions: Why are communities still building in danger zones? Why do we still see drainage systems clogged with garbage? Why are evacuation centers overcrowded and under-equipped?

It is time to admit that disasters in the Philippines are not just natural they are political, social, and economic. The rains and winds are beyond our control, but the extent of the damage is shaped by human failure. Corruption in infrastructure projects weakens our flood control systems. Poor urban planning leaves the poorest families most exposed. Year after year, the same places suffer the same fate.

September should be more than a season of disaster response; it should be a season of reckoning. Climate change is here, and stronger typhoons are coming. But more than climate resilience, what we need is governance resilience leaders who will not just react to storms, but anticipate them with vision, integrity, and compassion.

The Filipino spirit is often praised for resilience, but resilience should not mean resignation. We cannot simply endure every September; we must demand change. When the storms come again and they will let us hope we are no longer caught off guard, repeating the same mistakes, paying with the same lives.

Because the real disaster is not the typhoon it is our refusal to learn from it.

Philippine People's Press | In Truth We Prevail