Days after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Mindanao, the Manila Bulletin published an article on the conflicting casualty figures even as the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) worked to reconcile discrepancies in reported deaths, injuries and missing persons. This unfortunate problem highlights the challenges disaster agencies face in confirming real-time data from remote and heavily damaged areas. More disturbing is the fact that we are left asking the same uncomfortable question: are we ready for the ‘big one’?

We mourn those who lost their lives. We grieve with families who now face an emptiness that no aid package can fill. We acknowledge the fear and exhaustion of those forced out of their homes, uncertain of what comes next.

But grief, however sincere, is not enough. It never has been. Because the truth is this: earthquakes are inevitable in the Philippines. Mass casualties and widespread displacement on this scale are not. Our country sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire. That cannot be changed. What can—and must—change is how prepared communities are when the natural disasters strike. And that is where the shortfall becomes harder to ignore.

I have been saying this ever since I started as a legislator in 1992. During budget hearings, I have been reminding disaster agencies about one immutable fact: every major disaster in the country exposes the same weakness—an over-reliance on centralized response, paired with underpowered local systems that are expected to carry the heaviest burden when it matters most.

When the quake struck Mindanao, it was not national agencies that pulled survivors from debris in the first critical hours. It was neighbors. It was barangay officials. It was ordinary people using their bare hands because proper equipment had not yet arrived. This is not a story of heroic improvisation. It is a story of preventable limitation.

Local government units—the first line of defense in any disaster—remain chronically under-equipped, underfunded, and, in many cases, politically constrained from making the hard decisions that preparedness requires. Let us be clear: you cannot have effective disaster response without strong local capacity. And yet, that is precisely what has been neglected.

Local governments must be empowered to enforce building codes without fear of political backlash. That means giving them both the authority and the backing to say no—to unsafe construction, to shortcuts, to developments that put lives at risk. Right now, too many LGUs are left to navigate these decisions with limited support and considerable pressure.

Then there is preparedness at the community level, which remains inconsistent at best. Earthquake drills, where they exist, are often treated as routine exercises rather than life-saving practices. Public awareness campaigns are sporadic. Early warning systems, while improving, are not universally understood or trusted. Even in our own company where we have instituted a robust disaster preparedness plan, we feel that much needs to be done.

Preparedness is not something that can be activated after disaster strikes. It has to be embedded into daily life. Schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods should treat it as essential, not optional. That requires leadership—and again, that leadership must be local.

Emergency response capability is another glaring gap. In too many areas, local rescue teams lack the training, equipment, and organizational structure needed to respond effectively in the crucial first hours. This is when lives are saved or lost. Delays cost lives. Improvisation costs lives.

National agencies cannot reach every affected area immediately. That is a logistical reality. Which makes it all the more urgent that local units are ready to act independently when needed. This is not about replacing national response—it is about recognizing that survival often depends on what happens before that response arrives.

Local governments need faster, more flexible access to emergency funds, paired with clear accountability measures that ensure transparency without paralyzing decision-making. It is possible to have both speed and oversight. What is lacking is the will to design systems that prioritize urgency.

The Mindanao quake is not just a natural disaster. It is a stress test—and once again, it has revealed the same structural weaknesses that have gone unaddressed for far too long. For those who lost their lives, the country owes more than sympathy. It owes change. For those who survived, now facing the long road of recovery, the country owes more than relief. It owes a system that does not leave them as vulnerable the next time the ground shakes.

Because when the earth moves, there is no time to wait for help to arrive. It has to already be there.

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