Among 193 countries, the Philippines has the highest risk of  extreme natural events and negative climate change impact for the years 2022, 2023, and  2024 (Business World, 2024).

Disaster is a situation when a significant number of vulnerable people experience a hazard and suffer severe damage and/or disruption of their livelihood system in such a way that recovery is unlikely without an  external aid (Blaikie, et. al., 2004).  As of Saturday, October 26, 2024,  4.2 million Filipinos were impacted by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine, which battered the Philippines with strong winds and heavy flooding, especially in Bicol. This is almost a million families — some 986,974. Flooding was experienced in Metro Manila, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, Bicol, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, SOCCSKSARGEN, CARAGA, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. The death toll has reached at least 81, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). At least 66 are reported injured, and 34 reported missing (Rappler, 2024).

Understandably, the immediate and comprehensive provision of relief assistance during disaster is mandatory. It is about saving lives.   Since social workers are implementing these activities,  Social Work  as a frontline profession must be understood as more than a repair company for the amelioration of negative social and economic consequences brought about by disasters  (Stark, 2008) and wait again for another disaster.

Seeking accountability  for the flood control budget is valid  because of corruption as a cancer that permeates the whole spectrum of Philippine society. Since it is people’s money, it must be fully accounted for. Yet it should be integrated in the discourse why in the first place floods occur at increasing levels. It is about understanding the unmitigated plunder of our nation’s resources through extractive means. It is about capital in the economy’s commanding heights while the interests of the people are breached. It is also about environmental justice where environmental harm is even inequitably distributed, at the expense of the poor.

Guided by the principles of social and sustainable development we strongly advocate for the development of infrastructure that can withstand disasters. Greenpeace Philippines asserts that we must acknowledge evidence attributing stronger and more frequent typhoons to industry-level carbon emissions. Furthermore,  a study by World Weather Attribution concluded that Typhoon Carina in July, 2024, was strengthened by human-induced climate change.

Equally important is that our practice of social and sustainable development requires thorough understanding of the prevailing structural inequalities and unequal distribution of power and resources.  The natural hazard is caused by “atmospheric, hydrologic, geologic (especially seismic and volcanic) characteristics of our country. At the ground level, these  are being exacerbated from the neoliberal processes everywhere; the commodification of land leading to mushrooming of quarry activities, putting up of dam infrastructures,  real-estate expansion  from previously flat agricultural land to fringes of slopes and hilly areas, and mining operations. In fact, for all these processes to proceed require the consent and even sponsorship both of the local government units (LGUs) and the national government  to operate under the guise of a development plan, buttressed by proprietary rights

The effects of these are landslides, overflow of river banks,  and flooding of low areas as shown by the aftermath of Typhoon Kristine.

Our practice of transformative development should immediately engage  in  unmasking  the   hidden and intricate web of political patrons (in the context of patronage politics) with  the  local and foreign capital in the sole pursuit of capital accumulation. We should also hold accountable the multinational corporations. Greenpeace Philippines qualifies  that “oil and gas companies, those most responsible for the climate crisis, should be the ones paying for loss and damage.”  The collective participation  of the academe, practitioners, and the media can generate a public outcry against these perpetrators.

Accountability should be exacted and  justice should be served  on behalf of the poor people that have been at the mercy of the  intensifying wrath of nature.

Social workers and social development workers should demand accountability from government for billions of pesos supposedly poured on flood control projects and disaster mitigation.

References:

Abad, Michelle. 2024. “4.2 million Filipinos impacted by Kristine, death toll climbs to 81”. Rappler, 26 October. https://www.rappler.com/philippines/severe-tropical-storm-kristine-death-toll-injuries-missing-damage-updates-october-26-2024/

Blaikie, Piers, Terry Cannon, Ian Davis, and Ben Wisner. 2004. At Risk: Natural Hazards, Peoples Vulnerability And Disasters.  2^nd edition. London: Routledge.

Business World. 2024. “World Risk Index 2024: Philippines still the most at-risk country for 16th straight year”. Business World Publishing, 10 September.

Dominelli, Leni. 2012. “Green social work and environmental justice in an environmentally degraded and unjust world”. Durham: Durham University.

Felipe, Cecille Suerte. 2024. Accountability sought in flood control budgets. PhilStar Global, 26 October. https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2024/10/26/2395422/accountability-sought-flood-control-budgets

Philippine Daily Inquirer. 2024. Stop romanticizing resilience. Inquirer.Net, 27 October. https://opinion.inquirer.net/177869/stop-romanticizing-resilience

Stark, Christian. 2008. “Neoliberalism and the Consequence for Social Work”. IUC Journal of Social Work No. 17, 4, Department of Social Relations, Bemidji State University, Minnesota, USA.

28 October 2024

Department of Social Work, College of Social Work and Community Development (CSWCD), University of the Philippines Diliman

Social Work Action Network (SWAN) – Philippines