Last week’s storm is yet another reminder of our region’s severe disaster risks-and how quickly lives and properties can be lost.
Fortunately, the Philippines is responding positively to the threats posed by storms, typhoons and other natural calamities. Acting ahead of a disaster rather than waiting for it to happen is the only logical move that can save lives and minimize property losses.
We as a nation must do more to keep the damage to a minimum and avoid the trauma that goes with calamities. For one, I believe that more resources should be allocated to areas that are historically on the path of destructive typhoons.
To recall, the Philippines in September 2025 took a landmark step toward forecast-based action by passing the ‘State of Imminent Disaster’ law-the first in the world to authorize the use of national and local resources for anticipatory action.
The law lent more credence when tropical storm ‘Maymay’ lashed the northern part of Luzon and other areas last week. The storm is a relatively weak weather disturbance with winds of 55 kilometers per hour. The heavy rains it generated for many days, however, have matched, if not exceeded the damage expected from a stronger typhoon.
The rains saturated and soaked many areas that resulted in flooding and landslides.
A hillside gave way in Benguet province and collapsed on a small restaurant on Thursday, burying three employees in the kitchen. The national disaster agency also confirmed two others have been killed in a landslide in Rizal province the day before the Benguet incident.
Perhaps, local government units (LGUs) should be more pro-active ahead of crises as what Republic Act No. 12287, or the ‘Declaration of State of Imminent Disaster Act,’ demands. Pre-existing anticipatory action plans will prove essential in protecting lives across the country.
The law has established a legal framework that allows national and local governments to shift from reactive disaster response to proactive ‘anticipatory action’ before a severe calamity strikes.
It requires a pre-disaster risk assessment indicating a highly probable disaster with severe or catastrophic projected impacts and gives sufficient lead time for early intervention.
Disasters overlap in the Philippines, leaving no time for communities to recover, but large-scale pre-emptive evacuations proved the most critical outcome of early warning and government action as shown last year.
Over 1.5 million people in 2025 were evacuated ahead of typhoon’s Uwan’s landfall-a nationwide effort to move communities to safer ground before conditions deteriorated. And although the storm caused extensive damage, casualties remained comparatively low-with 213 deaths following typhoon Tino and 33 following Uwan.
Without the actions that followed the anticipatory action trigger, the loss of lives would have been exponentially higher, as previous disasters show.
The law reminds our LGUs to pre-position relief goods, mobilize response teams, execute pre-emptive evacuations, distribute early cash or food aid, and secure livelihood assets like livestock and boats.
But last week’s typhoon should not lull us into believing that the typhoon season has already heralded La Niña. On the contrary, we should brace for El Niño more.
The UN Meteorological Organization (WMO) has just warned that El Niño, a powerful climate pattern shaping global weather, will intensify starting this month despite the current wetter conditions.
The WMO has stepped up coordination, climate information services and early warning to help those affected prepare for potential impacts, including governments, humanitarian agencies, such climate-sensitive sectors as agriculture, and health as well as vulnerable communities.
‘El Niño is one of the most closely monitored climate phenomena in the world, but forecasts in themselves do not prevent hazards, people do,’ says WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.
She said El Niño is developing against the backdrop of unprecedented ocean heat and rising temperatures, but governments and communities have a window of opportunity to anticipate risks and act before impacts unfold.
‘The decisions we make today will shape the impacts we experience tomorrow,’ Saulo said, adding that WMO and its members are committed to ensuring that credible and relevant climate information reaches those that need it most.
Again, as in a typhoon season, preparations are a must to reduce the damage of El Niño on crops and our farmers. A nation like the Philippines that is prone to extreme weather should be a step ahead of impending disasters.