Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday, April 22, warned that corruption in climate infrastructure projects in the Philippines poses a “direct threat to national security,” as the country faces increasingly destructive storms.

In her Earth Day 2026 message, Duterte cited the devastation caused by recent typhoons, including Typhoon Basyang, which struck Northern Mindanao and displaced thousands of families overnight.

She also pointed to the combined impacts of Typhoon Tino and Typhoon Uwan, which inundated parts of the Visayas and caused widespread damage across Luzon and Bicol.

“Ito ang nangyayari kapag kinalimutan nating igalang ang mundong ating kinagisnan (This is what happens when we forget to respect the world we inherited),” Duterte said.

“Ang singil ng kapabayaan natin ay pasan ng mga mamamayang Pilipino (The burden of our negligence is carried by the Filipino people),” she added.

Duterte said the recent disasters have claimed nearly 300 lives and forced more than one million Filipinos to evacuate, highlighting the escalating risks linked to climate change and environmental neglect.

“Kapag ang bilyon-bilyong inilaan para sa flood control ay ninanakaw o sinasayang, hindi lang natin binibigo ang kalikasan—ipinagkakanulo natin ang ating sariling mamamayan (When billions allocated for flood control are stolen or wasted, we are not only failing nature—we are betraying our own people),” she said.

She emphasized that corruption in climate infrastructure and flood control projects weakens disaster preparedness and directly endangers communities.

“Ang korapsyon sa ating climate infrastructure ay isang tuwirang banta sa ating national security (Corruption in our climate infrastructure is a direct threat to our national security),” Duterte added.

Duterte called for stronger accountability in government-funded climate mitigation and flood control projects, stressing that public funds must translate into real protection for vulnerable communities.

She also highlighted the Office of the Vice President’s flagship program, PagbaBAGo: A Million Trees Campaign, as a model of grassroots climate action.

The initiative has reached its goal of planting one million trees within three years, helping restore watersheds and strengthen natural defenses against flooding.

“Hindi ito proyekto lamang; ito ay usapin ng survival (This is not merely a project; it is a matter of survival),” she said.

Framing environmental protection as urgent, Duterte urged Filipinos to take part in simple but impactful actions such as tree planting.

“Ngayong Earth Day, tandaan natin: ang pagtatanim ng puno ang pinakasimpleng climate action na kayang gawin ng kahit sino (This Earth Day, let us remember: planting a tree is the simplest climate action anyone can take),” she said.

“Hindi natin kailangan ng dambuhalang budget—ang kailangan natin ay punla at paninindigan para sa kinabukasan ng ating mga anak (We don’t need massive budgets—we need seedlings and the resolve to secure the future of our children),” she added.

Duterte also stressed collective responsibility in environmental protection, saying safeguarding natural resources is essential to ensuring the safety and future of Filipino families.

“Hindi mapipigilan ng isang puno ang bagyo, ngunit ang isang milyong puno na itinanim ng mga Pilipinong nagpasyang lumaban—iyan ang magpapalakas ng ating disaster resilience (A single tree cannot stop a storm, but a million trees planted by Filipinos who choose to act will strengthen disaster resilience),” she added.

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