FROM THE MARGINS
December is here. Even as we look forward to the Christmas season, many are still reeling from the devastation caused by the recent round of typhoons that visited the country. Typhoons Nika, Ofel, and Pepito caused almost ₱2 billion-worth of damages to agriculture and infrastructure, affecting 1.8 million people and forcing 453,000 to evacuate their homes. This is heartbreaking, coming in the wake of Typhoons Kristine and Leon, which affected 2.4 million families and damaged more than ₱7 billion worth of infrastructure and agricultural products. More than a hundred people died.
While leading the distribution of government aid, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. assured the public that his administration is strengthening its disaster risk reduction and response efforts amid the worsening effects of climate change. I hope the government will follow through on this promise. Filipinos are often praised for being resilient, but the frequency and severity of natural disasters require us now to be more prepared.
Beyond resilience, we must improve our disaster management systems and educate the public about environmental risks and disaster preparedness. We also need to improve poor people’s access to social services, microfinance, microinsurance and other safety nets. Let me share some more stories of our microfinance clients to illustrate why we need to involve vulnerable communities in disaster preparedness.
Rising above grief
Alejandro Vargas and his family have lived in Brgy. Sampaloc, Talisay, Batangas for more than 32 years, but Oct. 24, 2024 is a date that they will never forget. That day, Typhoon Kristine flooded their barangay, causing landslides which buried many houses.
His wife and two grandchildren were among the fatalities and Alejandro spent his birthday grieving at their wake.
Since his wife was a microfinance member, she was covered by microinsurance. Her MFI promptly released her death benefit worth ₱50,000, which was a lifeline to the grieving family. They used the fund to cover her funeral expenses and buy necessities, especially since the landslide destroyed their home.
Alejandro is grateful for the financial aid from the government and other organizations, but laments: “I would rather have my wife and grandchildren back, although I have to accept what happened. I need to focus on helping my remaining children.” He is eager to rebuild even while grieving. “Maybe my life was spared because my children still need me,” Alejandro continues, smiling sadly.
Alejandro’s faith remains strong. “I pray to God to help us recover,” he shares. “We need to be stronger now that our family is no longer complete.”
Helping others
Elsa de Torres, another Talisay resident, is the Mutual Benefit Association (MBA) coordinator in their area. In the aftermath of typhoon Kristine, she fearlessly checked on her co-members to ensure that financial aid will be promptly given to affected families.
While validating microinsurance claims, she witnessed people helping each other amid the devastation. Their MFI provided relief goods and immediately released microinsurance benefits for funeral and other expenses. She welcomed the outpouring of support from many quarters, noting that the community needs help to recover.
Typhoon Kristine left many lessons for Elsa. “We must always be prepared when there is an incoming storm,” she says. “We must heed authorities’ evacuation orders to prevent loss of lives.”
Elsa is grateful that her job as MBA Coordinator allows her to help others. “Microinsurance helps people cope when disasters happen.”
Adaptation and sustainability
Clearly, we need to enable vulnerable communities to cope with climate change. Typhoons are not independent of each other, according to Dr. Gerry Bagtasa, an atmospheric physicist from the University of the Philippines. Apparently, a typhoon creates a pathway and better environment for the succeeding ones. This means we need to be prepared for back-to-back typhoons happening, especially since the Philippines’ location exposes us to many natural hazards.
Typhoons are becoming more severe and frequent due to climate change. It is important not just for the government, but for all of us, to do the following:
1. Support disaster risk reduction. Let us improve land use, update building regulations, improve flood defenses, and help communities understand and address their environmental risks.
2. Invest in livelihoods. Enabling families to have stable and diversified livelihoods will help them adapt and recover faster from adverse weather events and disasters.
3. Strengthen resilience at all levels. We need to adopt a comprehensive approach to disaster preparedness that considers individuals, households, and communities. The government must also lead efforts to protect the environment and develop climate-resistant infrastructures.
4. Address vulnerabilities and push microinsurance. Vulnerability to disasters is linked to social and economic inequalities, so we must support vulnerable groups and give them access to social and financial services, especially safety nets through affordable microinsurance.
These measures will help us go beyond disaster recovery, toward resilience, adaptation, and sustainability.
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“No matter how much falls on us, we keep plowing ahead. That’s the only way to keep the roads clear. ” – Greg Kincaid
(Dr. Jaime Aristotle B. Alip is a poverty eradication advocate. He is the founder of the Center for Agriculture and Rural Development Mutually-Reinforcing Institutions (CARD MRI), a group of 23 organizations that provide social development services to eight million economically-disadvantaged Filipinos and insure more than 27 million nationwide.)