The group held the protest on Thursday – also World Oceans Day – seeking the declaration of the VIP as a maritime protected area under the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas Act or ENIPAS.

Members of the Protect VIP network brought large cardboard numbers that read “100” – the number of days since MT Princess Empress sank and caused an oil spill off the coast of Oriental Mindoro. The oil spill from the sunken ship reached the VIP, regarded by experts as “the center of the center of marine shore fish biodiversity.”

“This was not the first oil spill in the VIP, and it is unlikely to be the last as long as toxic and dangerous cargo is ferried in these waters.” Protect VIP co-convenor Gerry Arances said.

The group also tied black ribbons at the gate of the DENR compound to signify their “solidarity with communities and lament for biodiversity.”

“Millions of Filipinos depend on the maintenance of VIP as a pristine maritime ecosystem for their livelihood,” said Father Edwin Gariguez, lead convenor of Protect VIP and Social Action Center director of the Apostolic Vicariate of Calapan, Oriental Mindoro.

Protect VIP also urged the DENR to approve designated parts of the VIP as non-attainment areas to stop new polluting activities from being conducted in the area.

“Secretary [Toni Yulo-Loyzaga] has already declared before that she favors the declaration of VIP as a protected area. We are here hoping that she will put her words into action,” said Gariguez.

On Tuesday, June 6, the National Bureau of Investigation’s Environmental Crime Division and Pola, Oriental Mindoro Mayor Jennifer Cruz filed a criminal complaint against RDC Reield Marine Services, the owner of the sunken oil tanker MT Princess Empress for falsification of documents and perjury. – Rappler.com

Read more from Rappler’s coverage of the Oriental Mindoro oil spill:

• ‘A no-brainer’: Marcos gov’t urged to declare Verde Island Passage off-limits to certain ships
• Marine life has ways to weather an oil spill. Can we keep up?
• Why it’s important to contain the Oriental Mindoro oil spill ASAP
• After oil spill in Oriental Mindoro, uncertain future grips fishing community
• PANOORIN: Ano ang health risks ng exposure sa oil spills?
• Environmental damage from oil spill may reach P7 billion – DENR chief
• Oil spill exposes a Coast Guard in dire need of modernization
• ‘Pagod na po kami’: Pola mayor wants MT Princess Empress ship owner sued
• Oil siphoning to start in June, but is there ‘black oil’ still left in Princess Empress?
• PH gov’t to shoulder rehab costs as oil spill insurance, aid won’t be enough – DOJ official

In a webinar, Paul Horsman, a Greenpeace International campaigner, urged the Philippine government to declare the VIP as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA), which would compel certain classes of ships, such as oil tankers, to avoid the area. 

He described the proposal as a “no-brainer” and that the requirements “are not difficult or onerous,” adding that the International Maritime Organization (IMO) already has clear guidelines on PSSAs. 

Horsman said there are already 15 PSSAs around the world, including the Philippines’ Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, a world heritage site in southern Philippines. 

The VIP is a body of water between the provinces of Batangas, Mindoro island, and Marinduque. Dubbed the “Amazon of the oceans,” it is a global center of marine shorefish biodiversity.

The Philippines has been a member of the IMO since 1964. Among the IMO conventions it has adopted are rules on safety and security of shipping, as well as procedures on the prevention of marine environmental pollution. 

While a proposal for a PSSA is pending with the IMO, Horsman said the government can ask shipping companies to voluntarily avoid the VIP. 

He said the call to have the VIP off-limits to certain types of ships should easily get the support of the government and civil society.

The only opposition would come from shipping companies since they would have to spend more to transport cargo, he added.

Horsman said there have been several policy reforms meant to prevent oil spills from happening in ecologically sensitive areas, but they continue to happen, suggesting that having more PSSAs could be an easy answer.

On Thursday, April 27, Environment Secretary Antonia “Toni” Yulo-Loyzaga said she has had discussions with the governors of Batangas, Oriental Mindoro, and Marinduque on upgrading the VIP from a marine protected area to a legislated protected area. She said policy reforms would be proposed following this latest incident, which happened almost 17 years after the Guimaras oil spill.

Ratify int’l conventions

In the same webinar, Mark Homan, a claims manager of the International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds (IOPC), urged the Philippine government to adopt an international convention on oil spills called the Supplementary Fund Protocol that would give the Philippines access to additional money to address damage from oil pollution. 

Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez said on Wednesday that around $800 million more would have been available for the Philippines had it ratified the Supplementary Fund convention. 

Currently, only $284 million is available from the insurer of MT Princess Empress and the IOPC, he said. This is based on the Protection & Indemnity (P&I) insurance of the ship and the 1992 Fund convention to which the Philippines is a signatory. The 1992 Fund provides additional money in case the civil liability insurance is not enough. 

Homan also recommended that the Philippines ratify the Wreck Removal Convention. This would have given the Philippines P&I coverage on removing MT Princess Empress, which is still 400 meters deep off Naujan, Oriental Mindoro two months after it sank. Wreck removal is a very expensive operation due to the difficulty in moving a ship weighing thousands of tons.

In the same forum, Liza Osorio, legal and policy head of Oceana Philippines, urged Congress to pass a law similar to Republic Act No. 9359 that set up a standby fund of P850 million ($15.34 million) for the oil spill in Guimaras and other relief needs back in 2006.

In order to make polluters pay, she also recommended an amendment to Republic Act No. 9483 or the Oil Pollution Compensation Act of 2007, which excludes a vessel’s charterer from liability. Only shipowners are held liable under this law passed after the Guimaras oil spill.

Bantay Oil Spill

Meanwhile, civil society groups launched on Friday, April 28 – exactly two months after the sinking of MT Princess Empress – the Bantay Oil Spill, a citizen-led initiative that will monitor developments on the oil spill and continue to demand accountability.

“As we mark the second month of this environmental disaster, the Bantay Oil Spill initiative highlights the need to amplify the voices of oil spill-impacted communities seeking justice. [Sixty] long days have passed and with no end in sight still, we aim to let the government and responsible parties know that our communities are active, aware, and united in their fight to seek accountability and action,” said Father Edwin Gariguez, lead convenor of Protect VIP and director of the Social Action Center of Calapan in Oriental Mindoro.

On its first #BantayOilSpill bulletin, the civil society groups said that satellite data from SkyTruth indicated that MT Princess Empress “did not appear to broadcast an automatic identification system (AIS) signal when the vessel sank” on February 28. SkyTruth is a nonprofit environmental watchdog that uses satellite imagery and remote sensing data to identify and monitor environmental threats.

Quoting SkyTruth, the environmental groups said the lack of an AIS signal could be a violation of the SOLAS Convention, an international maritime treaty that sets minimum safety standards in the construction, equipment, and operation of merchant ships. 

“It is alarming that crucial information regarding the vessel’s tracking data was never publicized or discussed in-depth in investigations. Had the AIS signal from MT Princess Empress been complete and reliable, it would have been easier to identify the location of the sunken vessel earlier on and helped prevent worse repercussions. We wonder if the tanker’s owner, clients, and authorities who let it sail still sleep well at night knowing well that their negligence let this happen,” said Gerry Arances, executive director of the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development and co-convenor of Protect VIP.

The BRP Hydrographer Ventura, a ship of the Philippines’ central mapping agency, NAMRIA, gave a good estimate of the ship’s location on March 5, but it was a Japanese remotely operated vehicle (ROV), the Hakuyo, that found MT Princess Empress 400 meters deep in the ocean on March 21 or three weeks after the sinking. It continues to lie there with its black oil cargo still leaking.

“Victims of the oil spill should not become mere statistics – these communities have lost so much already and stand to lose more as the oil spill remains unaddressed. We urge the government to push for further investigation and hold accountable those answerable to this disaster. The Bantay Oil Spill stands as a reminder to the government and responsible parties of our people’s right to a healthy environment, and that affected peoples deserve no less than the highest standards for accountability and transparency,” Oceana’s Osorio said.

DOJ’s Vasquez told TV5 on Friday that credit should be given to the shipowner, RDC Reield Marine Services, for continuing to be involved in cleaning up areas affected by the oil spill. The company has said that it has been engaging the services of experts and working with its insurers and the Philippine Coast Guard in the cleanup. It continues to post images of the cleanup on its website.

MT Princess Empress left the private port SL Harbor Terminal early morning on February 28 with around 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil. It had engine trouble, encountered strong winds and rough seas, and sank off Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, later that day.

It spilled most of the black oil it was carrying in the succeeding weeks, destroying coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrasses, which the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has estimated to be worth around P7 billion ($126.30 million). Production losses from the fishing bans have amounted to P3.8 billion ($68.58 million) as of April 28. – Rappler.com

$1 = P55.41

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FAST FACTS: Verde Island Passage, the ‘Amazon of the oceans’

***

MANILA, Philippines – A magnitude 6.2 earthquake hit off the coast of Catanduanes on the evening of Tuesday, April 4. A tsunami warning was sent out by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), noting that “strong currents and rapid changes of seawater level are expected.”

Residents along the coasts of Catanduanes, Northern Samar, and Eastern Samar were advised by Phivolcs to avoid beaches and coasts until the advisory has been canceled.

According to the US-based National Centers for Environmental Information’s tsunami events database, the Philippines has experienced 89 probable tsunami events since 1627.

Twenty-eight of these tsunamis were of definite certainty, meaning that there was enough recorded evidence of a tsunami occurring at the time. Eight of these had incurred fatalities.

If a tsunami does occur, how prepared are you?

Here are some basic information on tsunamis.

What is a tsunami?

A tsunami is a series of sea waves commonly generated by under-the-sea earthquakes, with heights that could be greater than 5 meters.

In the Philippines, it occurs when the earthquake is at least magnitude 6.5 and is shallow-seated, meaning the epicenter is less than 30 kilometers below the seafloor.

Oftentimes, it is mistakenly associated with storm surges – tall waves that are caused by typhoons passing through seas and oceans. (READ: Storm Surges 101: Are you at risk? Are you prepared for it?)

Volcanic eruptions and landslides may also cause tsunamis.

Types of tsunamis

Locally generated

When an under-the-sea earthquake occurs within the Philippines’ earthquake generators. It takes 2-20 minutes before the waves reach the shores of affected areas.

Distant or far-field

When an under-the-sea earthquake occurs outside the Philippines or in the Pacific Ocean and generates a tsunami. Depending on the location, this has a longer lead time.

How vulnerable is the Philippines?

The Philippines’ location makes it vulnerable to tsunamis. Being an archipelago along the Pacific Ocean’s Ring of Fire, it is surrounded by both bodies of water and trenches such as the following:

Metro Manila, the country’s capital, is also vulnerable to tsunamis because it faces Manila Bay.

In the past, two tsunamis with heights of 1-2 meters affected the bay in 1828 and 1863. Affected areas were Manila, Bataan, Zambales, Cavite, Batangas, and Mindoro which face the Manila Trench, the source of the tsunami in this part of the Philippines, Department of Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. said in 2015, back when he was Phivolcs chief.

The most recent definite tsunami was during the July 2022 magnitude 7.3 Abra earthquake. Phivolcs did not issue a tsunami alert due to the earthquake happening inland, and thus cannot cause tsunamis. The Chinese-run South China Sea Tsunami Advisory Center did, however, record minor waves generated by the earthquake at the time.

On record, at least three distant tsunamis affected the country in the past. These were the 1960 Great Chilean Earthquake (magnitude 9.5), the 2010 Chile Earthquake (magnitude 8.8), and the 2011 Sendai Earthquake in Japan (magnitude 9).

Community-based preparedness

To prepare for the occurrence of tsunamis in the country, Phivolcs has initiated various tsunami warning and preparedness projects. (READ: How the 2004 Asian tsunami helped the Philippines)

Two years after the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the Philippines, through funding from the Department of Science and Technology, developed a tsunami detection system by setting up dry and wet sensors in 10 sites all over the Philippines. It also allowed the agency to produce tsunami hazard maps in coastal areas.

In 2013, the Phivolcs released different comics based on real stories of Filipino survivors of the 2011 Sendai earthquake. These were written in Filipino.

But while these projects can really be helpful to Filipinos, Solidum has always emphasized the importance of community-based preparedness, especially during locally generated tsunamis.

The locals, he said, should rely not only on warnings and advice but also on their own observations.

“In our experiences and observations, 2-5 minutes, may mga events na nandiyan na ‘yung tsunami after the earthquake (there are events when the tsunami comes right after the earthquake). So in that case, there is very limited time to give warning. The locals should know the safe places to go and evacuate,” Solidum said. – with reports from Matthew G. Yuching/Rappler.com

Sources: Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, various news websites

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) initially measured this tectonic quake at magnitude 7.3, but later lowered it to 7. 

This marks the strongest earthquake to hit the island of Luzon since 1990, when a magnitude 7.7 temblor struck. Since 1970, 11 other earthquakes of magnitude 6.5 or stronger have been recorded within 250 kilometers of this July 27 quake, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). 

Historically, quakes of this magnitude have caused catastrophic destruction and have resulted in thousands of deaths.

Here’s a rundown of recent earthquakes in the Philippines of similar scale:

1990: Luzon earthquake 

On July 16, 1990, a catastrophic earthquake of magnitude 7.7 struck Luzon, creating a 125-kilometer-long ground rupture that stretched from Dingalan, Aurora, to Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya. 

According to reports by Phivolcs and USGS, it triggered “hundreds of thousands” of landslides throughout Northern and Central Luzon, causing multiple buildings to collapse and inflicting other major infrastructural damage across the Baguio-Cabanatuan-Dagupan area. (READ: FAST FACTS: The 1990 Luzon earthquake) 

An estimated 2,412 lives were lost during this catastrophe and 3,000 people were injured. This was also the strongest earthquake recorded in the Philippines since the Moro Gulf quake of 1976, which had a magnitude of 8 and killed 8,000 people. 

1994: Mindoro earthquake 

On November 15, 1994, an earthquake of magnitude 7.1 hit Mindoro in Southern Luzon. Similar to the 1990 Luzon quake, this produced a 35-kilometer-long ground rupture, and triggered a tsunami that brought the total death toll up to 78. 

Its intensity was so strong that it was felt as far as Pampanga in the north, Sorsogon and Masbate of the Bicol region in the south, and Iloilo in Western Visayas. 

According to Phivolcs Special Report No. 2, this devastating earthquake caused a total of 430 injuries, 67 damaged bridges, and 7,566 destroyed houses in 13 out of 15 municipalities in Oriental Mindoro. 

2002: Palimbang earthquake

A magnitude 7.5 earthquake rattled Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat, on March 6, 2002, and was recorded as the sixth strongest quake in the world that year. 

This is the last major earthquake to have struck Mindanao, resulting in a death toll of eight, and injuries of 41. According to Phivolcs, a total of 7,684 families in the provinces of Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North and South Cotabato were affected.

2013: Bohol earthquake 

On October 15, 2013, a powerful earthquake with magnitude 7.2 struck the province of Bohol in Central Visayas. According to the final report of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, 222 people died, 967 were injured, and 8 were reported missing. 

This was the deadliest earthquake to hit the country since 1990 at the time. In total, the catastrophe affected over 3 million Filipinos.

Over 79,000 structures including homes, major roads, churches, schools, and public buildings were damaged, 14,500 of which were completely destroyed, leaving 340,000 people displaced.  

2019: Mindanao earthquakes

In October 2019, three succeeding quakes ranging from magnitude 6.3 to 6.6 rattled Cotabato: the first with magnitude 6.3 on October 16, the second with magnitude 6.6 on October 29, and the third, just two days after on October 31, with magnitude 6.5.

These quakes killed at least six people, injured hundreds, and left 8,000 residents homeless due to major infrastructural damage across the region. 

Following the earthquake swarm that hit Cotabato, another strong magnitude 6.9 quake rocked Davao del Sur on December 15. The earthquake left at least 4 people dead from falling debris. (FAST FACTS: The destructive earthquakes that hit Mindanao) – Rappler.com

Presiding Judge Emmanuel Recalde of the RTC Marinduque Branch 38 directed Marcopper to pay the 30 plaintiffs P200,000 each as temperate and P100,000 as moral damages. The decision also awarded P1 million for all the plaintiffs as exemplary damages. 

 “This is a victory for the plaintiffs who had waited two decades for justice as much as it is for the other plaintiffs who had unfortunately died in the course of this case. We celebrate this ruling and thank Judge Emmanuel Recalde for taking up cudgels for the survivors and the environment,” said Elizabeth Manggol of the Marinduque Council for Environmental Concerns said. 

In December 1993,  the Maguila-guila earthen dam, a Marcopper siltation dam, collapsed due to heavy rains spawned by Typhoon Monang. The breach resulted in large volumes of mine wastes pouring into the Mogpog River. 

Immediately affected were the plaintiffs who were from Barangays Magapua and Bocboc, in Mogpog town in Marinduque.

“This emblematic case should serve as a warning for communities who wish to embrace mining. Litigating mining-related cases like this celebrated case is a slow march to justice. Communities must think their decisions through for the impact of the environment can be irreversible,” said Ryan Roset of the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center (LRC).

LRC is a non-government organization that provides free legal services to communities battling resource rights issues.

“In the case of Marinduque, the (Mogpog) river affected by the spill is all but dead. With this ruling, Judge Recalde has shown that environmental cases do have a fighting chance in our judicial system,”  Roset added.

Three years, Marcopper again figured in a second mining disaster. In March 1996, a damaged drainage tunnel of a large pit containing leftover mine tailings causing the flow of toxic mine waste into the Makulapnit-Boac river system. This toxic waste effectively rendered the Boac River a dead river.

Look Back: The 1996 Marcopper mining disaster

– Rappler.com

“Now, every time I drive to work, I can feel the hot weather,” Daganta told Mongabay a month after the catastrophic storm struck the island. “I was born and raised here and in my 51 years of existence, it’s so far the strongest typhoon to ever ravage the park.”

On duty a few hours ahead of the storm’s ninth and final landfall over northern Palawan, Daganta left the ranger station to seek safety at a colleague’s house. Shortly before noon, the park started to feel Odette’s ire. The howling wind toppled trees and flattened houses and park buildings, and the sea raged, swallowing up patrol and fishing boats anchored on the shore.

“During its onslaught, all I can exclaim was, ‘Oh, God, let this storm pass by,'” Daganta said. “The next day, fallen trees made roads impassable. When I returned to the station, its galvanized iron roof was torn down, and all you can see inside were fallen tree branches.”

At the forest edges alone, at least 2,200 trees, including many century-old native dipterocarps, were damaged, based on the park management’s initial estimates. The full extent of forest destruction left by Odette in the 22,202-hectare (54,862-acre) PPSRNP remains unknown; fallen trees have obstructed trails into the forest’s interior, hampering ground assessment.

The strongest storm to hit Philippines in 2021, Odette dismantled numerous park facilities and villagers’ homes, displacing more than 3,500 families a week before Christmas. It also destroyed 86 boats, once mainly servicing tourists but converted for fishing since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. No casualties were recorded at the park, but the death toll across the Philippines reached 407, including at least 22 in Palawan.

The impact on wildlife has yet to be calculated.

PPSRNP is a UNESCO World Heritage and Ramsar site known for its impressive cave system and intact old-growth forests. The IUCN noted that it’s home to a large number of bird species, including the endemic Palawan hornbill (Anthracoceros marchei), Palawan peacock pheasant (Polyplectron napoleonis), and Philippine cockatoo (Cacatua haematuropygia), all of them threatened species. Wildlife law enforcement initiatives afford protection to commonly traded endemic mammal species taking refuge here, such as the Palawan pangolin (Manis culionensis), porcupine (Hystrix pumila), and bearcat (Arctictis binturong).

“It’s heartbreaking to see the devastation that the typhoon caused, not only to the forest, but to the wildlife as well,” park biologist Nevong Puna told Mongabay. “The adverse effect was huge, especially to birds depending on the canopy either for food or shelter.” During an assessment two weeks after the storm, bird sightings were down by 10% from pre-storm levels.

PPSRNP’s neighboring key biodiversity areas, Cleoptra’s Needle Critical Habitat, Malampaya Sound Protected Landscape and Seascape, and El Nido-Taytay Managed Resource Protected Area were also hit by Odette, but assessments there are still ongoing, and the government and conservation groups have not yet provided figures on the true extent of the impacts of the storm on forests and wildlife.

Where did the wildlife go?

State weather bureau PAGASA reported that when Odette made landfall in Palawan, it had sustained winds of up to 150 kilometers per hour (93 miles per hour) and gusts of up to 205 km/h (127 m/h), battering the central and northern portions of the province. “With its vast coverage, how far could the birds, mammals, and other wildlife have gone? So there’s a slim chance of escape,” Puna said.

Biodiversity expert Neil Aldrin Mallari said it’s possible some animals fled to more sheltered areas before the storm struck. “Wildlife have strong senses, most of them might have retreated,” he told Mongabay. “For those who were not able to retreat because they’re not that mobile, like frogs, they might have perished.”

Mallari, chief scientist at the nonprofit Center for Conservation Innovation Ph, said he’s also concerned about the long-term survival of wildlife that did make it through the storm. “We hypothesize that, because of the strong typhoon, the flowers that would have been fruits by summertime, serving as food for wildlife, they might have been blown away; therefore, there would be famine in the wild, and eventually the wildlife might die out.”

Botanists are also concerned about the park’s plant life. “The hemiepiphytic and epiphytic species, like orchid, are the most affected as they cling on branches of the trees,” said Maverick Tamayo, research director of the nonprofit Philippine Taxonomic Initiative, which includes PPSRNP among its study sites.

Tamayo also noted that karstic or limestone-dwelling species are especially vulnerable to typhoons. “Those that have poor root system, for example, Amorphophallus species and tubers, can be carried away by the heavy rainfall since these species only thrive in humus within crevices of the limestones,” he told Mongabay.

On a positive note, he said, the passage of a typhoon can facilitate nutrient availability: “Typhoons can return and even out the nutrients in the forest through translocation…. But still, typhoons, especially the strong ones, can have more negative impacts rather than benefits. For instance, opportunistic invasive species seeds and propagules can be effectively dispersed further.”

Prospects for a green recovery

Park superintendent Elizabeth Maclang said the destruction could have been even greater, and credited activities that have effectively protected the forest and managed the restoration of degraded areas. However, she said the park was not adequately prepared for a storm of this magnitude: “In the past, we’re spared [from] typhoons as strong as this, so we’d become complacent, and now we’re caught unprepared. Our big realization from this? Invest in the improvement of our disaster readiness.”

The United Nation Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s sixth assessment report stated with “high confidence” that “the proportion of intense tropical cyclones (Category 4-5) and peak wind speeds of the most intense tropical cyclones are projected to increase at the global scale with increasing global warming.”

This further imperils developing countries like the Philippines, which on average sees at least 20 major tropical storms per year. Maclang is among the activists and climate negotiators in the Philippines calling on developed countries to set up a fund to compensate vulnerable countries for climate-linked losses and damages. “Our park hosts ‘globally significant habitat for biodiversity conservation,'” she said. “What we’d lose, the world would lose, so we urge developed countries to partake in raising this long-sought climate fund.”

Some efforts to increase climate resiliency are already in place. The park’s management has partnered with the United States Agency for International Development’s Sustainable Interventions for Biodiversity, Oceans, and Landscapes or SIBOL project, which launched in 2020. Some funds have already been channeled for post-Odette interventions in Palawan, including a “green assessment” set to begin in February, which will enlist the help of environmental authorities and nearby communities to pinpoint the changes in ecosystems since the typhoon struck.

The results of the assessment will be used to create hazard, vulnerability, and community resources maps aimed at guiding park management in crafting a plan to increase the park’s resilience to climate risks.

“We’ll help determine areas that will pave the way to green reconstruction, restoration, and rehabilitation,” Mallari said. “In other words, it’s a pathway to a more resilient community.” With the assistance of community members as citizen scientists on a cash-for-work scheme, his team will also work to identify suitable habitat for various species, and their level of tolerance to disturbances before and after the typhoon.

Hitting the tipping point

Experts say the damage at PPSRNP is reversible, but note that it will take time to see full ecosystem recovery.

“If we leave it as it is and nature will take its course, it will definitely recover,” said Rogelio Andrada II, a forestry and protected area management professor at the University of the Philippines Los Baños.

Andrada said the inner forest, where post-Odette surveys have not yet taken place, may be in better condition than forest fringes, which received the most destructive wind force. In addition, standing trees without leaves are not necessarily dead and can sprout again, provided they don’t suffer from drought or attacks by insects, fungi, or bacteria.

Without disturbances, the mix of tree species originally occupying the park can be expected to return naturally after about a decade. “Recovery starts the next day after a typhoon hit the area,” Andrada said. “But if you want it to return to climax vegetation, that would take a lot of time.”

The occurrence of equally strong or stronger typhoons in the future, as well as the incessant presence of people in opened canopies could disrupt this recovery process, he added. Moreover, park management is concerned about the risk of wildfires since no rains have occurred since Odette struck.

One technique that could speed recovery is “assisted natural regeneration,” which Andrada said entails replanting denuded areas with original species and ensuring these are protected from disturbances that could impact their growth and survival.

Mallari stressed the need to prevent further forest loss in Palawan, which he said is nearing the “tipping point,” beyond which ecosystems can no longer weather environmental pressures and perform their vital functions. As of 2015, the most recent year for which official figures are available, the province had just 694,459 hectares (1.7 million acres) of remaining forest cover, representing around 46% of its land area. Losing 10% more of this forest, Mallari said, is tantamount to hitting the tipping point.

“The challenge for us now is how we give it a hard reset, and if we’re able to, let’s make it count, because if we further let this degradation to continue, Palawan is moving towards that ‘point of no return,'” Mallari said. “If we hit that tipping point, any increase in population, for example, has an exponential effect on your loss of natural ecosystems. And the more ecosystems you lose, it increases your vulnerability when another Odette comes. It becomes a vicious cycle.” – Rappler.com

This story originally appeared on Mongabay.com on January 24, 2022.

It started on November 9 when Bukidnon saw torrential rains for the whole day.

It was the same day when several areas in neighboring Davao City were flooded, forcing families to seek shelter in evacuation sites. 

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Israel Johan Damasco, head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO) in Bukidnon, told Rappler on Thursday, November 18, that his office together with Bukidnon Governor Jose Maria Zubiri inspected areas hit by torrential rains last Monday and Tuesday.

Then a heavy downpour on Tuesday, November 16, destroyed a newly constructed spillway along the provincial road in Sitio Harque, Barangay Adtuyon in Pangantucan town.

A bridge linking the municipalities of Dangcagan and Kadingilan was also swept away.

“That spillway was constructed two years ago. It was elevated yet the water still reached and pounded it. The hanging bridge was a walkway for the residents and a pathway for motorcycles,” Damasco said.

The provincial government of Bukidnon sent more than 200 sacks of rice and canned goods on November 17 to residents in Barangay Camp 1 in Maramag town where 240 families were adversely affected by the flood. 

Another 23 families in Barangay Malinao in Kadingilan also were affected by the Tuesday rain. 

On November 10, a footbridge in Barangay Kilaog in Sumilao town was  swept away. 

In San Fernando town, barangays Matupe, Durian and Sitio Simsimmon in Kalagangan were hit by flash flood on November 9.

Damasco said the help from the province is still on its way as the local government of San Fernando submitted its final assessment to the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) on Wednesday, November 17. 

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“There has been initial help sent to San Fernando. More are coming. The final list has been submitted already to PSWDO,” he said. 

Damasco said the extent of the damages to infrastructure has yet to be determined by the Provincial Engineering Office (PEO).

Volunteers have been posting on social media, calling for donations for the affected communities in San Fernando town. They dubbed it as “Bayanihan Para sa San Fernando, Bukidnon.”

Mavic Hilario, one of the volunteers, told Rappler that as of Thursday, the group has raised about P51,000 in cash for 77 affected families in San Fernando. 

The group plans to bring the relief items on Saturday, November 20. 

“We are trying to raise P77,000 for all the 77 families so they could get a bayanihan pack each,” Hilarip said

Each pack would include a mat, a blanket, and P500 worth of goods. 

“We need to act on their request for food, waterproof canvas, pots, kitchen utensils, mats, and blankets,” Hilario said. 

Hilario said the flood occurred in the evening and the families could only save themselves from the rampaging waters, leaving their clothings and other essential items in their houses. – Rappler.com

Grace Cantal-Albasin is a Mindanao-based journalist and awardee of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship.

There was anguish everywhere, and it was difficult to receive comfort. The air, after all, reeked of grief, despair, and decomposing bodies. Help arrived too late. Every person didn’t know where to go next. So massive was the tragedy, it was unimaginable.

The tragic loss of lives, property, and perhaps, even dreams, was evident. It was clear after that day: November 8, 2013 day will be remembered in the years to come. 

Yolanda is a painful memory that still lingers for the survivors in Tacloban – the ones who clung to bamboo poles and rooftops to save their lives, the ones who swam through the waters filled with debris and snakes and frogs and dead pets, the ones who watched in horror inside evacuation centers as the storm took away everything.

In this video, we look back at some of the stories of survivors who lived to tell the tale, in remembrance of their wives, husbands, sons, daughters, and friends who didn’t make it. 

We are also reminded of the perils of climate change, at a time when world leaders are trying to stop the ravages of greenhouse gases on our ecosystem. – Rappler.com

Gremil Nas, OCD Bicol spokesman, said that 2,379 families or a total of 10,649 persons, with 1,853 families or 8,339 persons, were now staying in evacuation camps. The other 526 families or 2,310 persons sought shelter with relatives or neighbors.

Heavy flooding hit the island province of Masbate as torrential rains pounded communities from Monday night, September 6 and the day after. Trees uprooted by heavy winds blocked the national highway.

The OCD Bicol said five houses were partially damaged in Uson town, Masbate.

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Big waves capsized a motorized boat with six persons in Cataingan town Masbate. Rescued were couple Analyn and Armando Arma, Omar Villar, Mark Joseph Ortiz, John Garcia and Jonathan Abejo.

Nas said Masbate, the hardest hit province in Bicol, has been without power for the last 20 hours.

Maria Luisa “Malu” Calubaquib, the Philippine National Police (PNP) regional spokesperson, said cops were working around the clock to help affected communities. In some areas, water rose to waist-level.

The Philippine Coast Guard in Bicol also reported 505 stranded passengers in Sorsogon, as 167 rolling cargo vessels took shelter. Flights were also cancelled in Legazpi City.

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In Albay, Governor Al Francis Bicharapre enforced pre-emptive evacuation of communities vulnerable to flash floods, debris flow, lahar, and landslides, especially residents living in houses made of light materials.

The governor directed disaster officials and the public to strictly observe health protocols to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

“Strict implementation of Covid19 health protocols should be observed. All local disaster risk reduction management councils (LDRRMCs) should be on heightened alert in their area of jurisdictions and to monitor the status of heavy rains through the PAGASA Legazpi and local broadcast media until the weather situation normalizes,” Bichara said in his directive.

Bichara also ordered the suspension of work in government and the private sector, as well as classes in all levels in public and private schools.

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Only government personnel  involved in the public safety, disaster response, emergency response  and medical services continued with their operations.

While grocery stores were allowed to operate until 12 noon on Tuesday. Claire Hariri, SM information officer said SM City Legazpi would close but would take in people taking shelter. – Rappler.com

Malakas na hangin at ulan ang dala ng bagyo. Nagdudulot ito ng matinding pagbaha, landslide, daluyong o storm surge, at pagkasira ng mga ari-arian. Libo-libong mga Pilipino rin ang apektado.

Mahalagang handa ang bawat pamilya bago pa man tumama ang bagyo sa kanilang lugar para maiwasan ang sakuna o kapahamakan. 

Ano-ano ang mga dapat tandaan tuwing may bagyo? Panoorin ang video na ito. – Rappler.com