COLUMN | Flooded, not drenched

Junel Fiestada

I grew up in the province. I’ve seen trees fall and heard whistling winds, but flooding is not as frequent as in the city. In the coming weeks, I’ll be moving in for studies, and it scares me that the place I once dreamed of is soaked beyond water, by unfulfilled promises of well-managed disaster and calamity response. 

I fear that I will have to cross ankle-deep, if not waist-deep waters, along Padre Faura and Pedro Gil. And I, too, just like anyone, fear the usual storm in an unfamiliar place.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the country experiences an average of 20 tropical cyclones each year. One is enough to serve as a lesson; two is enough to serve as a reminder, but three is more than enough to have prepared for the aftermath of more, let alone twenty! 

Now, five typhoons are in. The A to E’s of typhoons we experience every year once again shower the country, but what prevails is the ordeal of Filipino tales trying to tell a story of suffering — again. Not understanding the severity of each typhoon is not stubbornness, but outright indifference to the affected citizens, especially students. 

For us, late suspensions are not our first rodeo. We’re dressed up in white and shiny shoes only to get mudded along the way, but no complaints, we will do what we have to do to learn. But if education loses compassion, then what is learning for? A quality education is not easy, but it should always be compassionate to learners, especially in times of disaster. 

This issue, central to the student body and education, may seem light because we know how to carry such obstacles, and politicians know how to take advantage. However, they’re too delusional to believe that we’re just experiencing a little drizzle, while they have high-rise roofs above their heads, a pantry stocked with food, and thick blankets to wrap themselves in. I hate to break it to you, but we are simply not drenched; we’re flooded, swamped, and nearly drowning.

In the 2024 World Risk Index (WRI), the Philippines maintained the highest score of 46.91 for the third year, among 193 countries. We are at high risk due to vulnerability, susceptibility, and lack of coping and adaptive tactics. This includes risks in hazards such as typhoons, floods, earthquakes, and conflict.

The Philippines, being a melting pot of calamities and disasters, should be dealing with typhoons efficiently, but the situation on the ground says otherwise. Evacuation centers are packed with desperate people trying to survive a disaster. Public health is degrading. Livelihoods and businesses are affected. And largely, learning is impeded.

The government can always suspend classes or shift to alternative modalities whenever rain pours, but they are just band-aid solutions. Class suspension should be about the severity of typhoons, but now, it is based on floods because even the slightest rainfall fills the streets. And what do we do about it? A short-term solution only exacerbates the full potential of permanent answers to recurring problems. And the cycle continues. 

These natural hazards are uncontrollable, but actions are. 

Education reformists and the Department of Education should address the roots of this problem. Yes, the academic calendar may be shifted back to its original date, but typhoons and heat waves are nonetheless becoming more invasive. We can do many adjustments, but we are missing something: what is actually being done to address flash floods and destroyed learning materials when a typhoon hits?

Schools double as emergency centers; therefore, the government should invest in resilient infrastructures that underscore safety and sustainability. In fact, according to UNICEF, resilient features may include rainwater harvesting and reinforced structures that promote longevity and safeguard learners.

Additionally, the fight to close the digital divide is far from over. Improved online and mobile learning platforms and flexible materials are essential in continuing learning when classrooms become inaccessible due to disasters. Likewise, digital literacy follows as it poses a critical step in learning digitally, especially in remote settings mostly affected by typhoons.

Finally, the government should strengthen the overall disaster risk governance system through the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) by improving a multisectoral approach and collaboration with different stakeholders and institutions. After all, NDRRMC goes beyond disaster preparedness and prompt response; what comes after, rehabilitation and recovery, should also be highlighted.

The question still stands: what more do we need to witness before we can have a comprehensive and efficient service? Incompetence is not an excuse to deliberately undermine these occurrences because lives are at risk; work, school, and livelihood are suffering.

In the pursuit of quality education, climate considerations are important in forging a conducive environment that is key to learning. Students may be the first people who master resilience, but also the first who have to endure hardships just to experience basic rights.

Don’t get me wrong, in times like these, resilience is important. If I must say, it is an edge to overcome this dilemma. However, resilience without help is self-destruction. It is not enough to rebuild a house collapsed to the ground with just cement and nails and no workers. To be resilient is the first step, and to call for accountability and action is the second. This is how we assure ourselves that we’re not always flooded, but sunshine that anticipates. 

We have to brace ourselves as future typhoons will not be gentle; they will grow stronger, worsened by climate change. But, no hazard is naturally disastrous; it only becomes one when the government ceases to think of innovative solutions to address common problems. Let us think a step ahead and be smarter each time. Because if not, I doubt that a ray of light awaits after the rain, but a harder, enduring storm.

Our stories are more than just a beacon of overcoming. The books we carry against the torrent of waters hold incomparable aspirations. We are more than just tales of resilience. We overcome the floods not to merely serve as a lesson or learn from it, but to turn the tables. This time, students shall teach those who sleep on their responsibilities at the cost of their comfort: let me remind you again, today, we’re not just drenched, we are flooded.