In light of extreme flooding due to Habagat, consecutive typhoons, PMCJ to PBBM: Filipinos deserve more than class and work suspensions; declare a state of calamity and national climate emergency now!
- Media Communications
- Jul 23
- 3 min read
The convergence of the Habagat or Southwest Monsoon and typhoons has sadly become the ‘new normal.’ With the back-to-back typhoons that submerged communities and claimed lives, the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice calls on President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. (PBBM) to declare a state of national calamity and climate emergency. What the Filipinos are facing now is not an isolated catastrophe; it is the brutal reality in a climate-vulnerable country, made worse by government inaction and abandonment.
Every year, an average of 20 tropical cyclones enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR). As the flooding worsens, the national government’s response remains the same: reactive, short-term, and lacking accountability. It is ill-prepared to address the deadly and destructive impacts of these events. On July 24, 2025, Malacañang suspended classes and government work in Metro Manila and more than 30 provinces due to heavy downpours. This, while more and more local government units (LGUs) are placing themselves under a state of calamity to access quick response funds and respond to the needs of their constituents. But this is not enough.
As of July 23, 2025, the death toll from Severe Tropical Storm #CrisingPH, followed by the intensified Habagat, rose to 12, according to the Philippine National Police. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported that over one million Filipinos were negatively affected. The perfunctory cleaning of piles of trash, counting dead bodies, and accounting for destroyed homes after every storm should not replace a comprehensive government program for planning and climate adaptation and mitigation. This cycle of neglect must not be normalized. We must hold our leaders accountable for their inaction.
PBBM vetoed at least 16.7 billion pesos worth of flood control projects in the country under the 2025 National Budget, which he signed last December 2024. As a result, Filipinos are left to apply for relief programs when a disaster strikes. One of the government’s so-called ‘responses’ is to tap the Pag-IBIG Fund for the calamity loan program to assist members affected by the typhoon. This speaks volumes; while critical life-saving measures are denied funding, the public is expected to shoulder the burden themselves. The government continues to treat these tragedies as if they were business as usual.
It is essential to recognize that the problem is systemic. It is not only a climate crisis, but a crisis of poor governance and injustice. An expert from the University of the Philippines emphasized how flooding is not only due to a heavy amount of rainfall, but also ‘the result of extensive urban development, blocked waterways, and coastal reclamation’. The mentioned factors are part of what we fight against to attain climate justice. The environmentally degrading projects that cause climate catastrophes are the same culprits that displace communities, pollute rivers and seas, and disrupt the lives and livelihoods of fisherfolk, farmers, and other people.
Malacañang Palace’s memorandum circulars and other mechanical responses are not only insulting, but they also lead us back to the root of all these mishaps and tragedies. Let us, as a united public, demand that the national government address the climate crisis by declaring a national climate emergency, developing tangible solutions through policy reforms, programs, and projects, and joining the global effort to phase out the use of fossil fuels and initiate the transition to renewable energy. ###
FOR INQUIRIES:
Sheila Abarra
Senior Media and Communications Officer
Philippine Movement for Climate Justice
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