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The Philippines is still the most dangerous in Asia, with eight reported killings and disappearances, not counting additional suspected attacks that go unreported.
But local community accounts and scientists’ groups tell another story: SMC’s reclamation and airport projects are not saving lives, they are deepening the disaster.
"With public outrage over questionable DPWH flood control projects in San Juan, this incident underscores the urgent need for deeper investigation and lifestyle checks on officials handling infrastructure and land approvals.”
Women farmers in Laguna, reeling from floods that destroyed their rice fields and left them with losses of up to P20,000 ($340) per hectare, are demanding calamity compensation and higher palay prices, as their crops are not covered by insurance and government rice policies continue to draw criticism.
A 2025 study published in Nature Communications Earth & Environment found that ship traffic can cause methane emissions to spike up to 20 times higher than in undisturbed areas, even during short passages.
While the Masungi Georeserve continues to fight on all fronts – legal, political, and territorial – forest rangers like Nilbert remain on the ground, steadfast in their daily work of protecting and growing the forest.
“Instead of responding with climate justice and urgency, ADB is rushing through a policy review that risks locking Asia into the very systems driving these disasters.”
“There are a lot of vested interests here, particularly powerful people. They are trying to block the restoration efforts because there is something else that they want to do, especially with the lands."
The deaths of Espe and Mulabay add to a growing list of activists who have been killed in recent years, including Antonio Diwayan, Elioterio Ugking, and Ali Macalintal.
By siding once again with Meralco’s coal project, it’s nothing less than a death sentence for the people of Quezon,” said Fr. Warren Puno, regional coordinator of the South Luzon Eco-Convergence of Caritas Philippines and parish priest of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage Parish in Atimonan.
Marcos Jr.'s clean energy agenda faces growing scrutiny, as soaring LNG costs, environmental damage, and community concerns expose stark contradictions in the Philippines’ energy transition.
Twelve years have passed but Ofelia and her family continuously felt the trauma, especially if there’s a typhoon or a strong weather disturbance nearby the Davao region.
People Surge, a national alliance of disaster survivors, said that many affected communities remain without housing, livelihood, or sustained support.
“There’s been so much Western influence, especially with tourism and migrants coming in. Our language is changing—kids speak English, Cebuano—it’s all mixed now. But the deeper, ancestral influence is still there. I came from Mamanwa. I want that to be recognized again.”
Some come to surf or recover, drawn to Siargao’s beauty and relative peace. But their presence, often marked by aggressive behavior, loud partying, and a disregard for local customs, has begun to unsettle the community.
“These funds exist for emergencies like this. The government’s failure to release them quickly and transparently is costing lives and livelihood,”
Across the Philippines, many communities are losing their livelihoods and homes in the name of so-called development projects causing environmental destruction. With Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s presidency already at the halfway mark, the state of the Philippine environment is caught between lofty climate pledges and worsening ecological destruction.
In the ruling, the World Court said that the climate change treaties set forth binding obligations for State parties to ensure environmental protection. Among these treaties are the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement. In the Philippines, all these legally-binding treaties are ratified, therefore, the government is responsible for failure to uphold the much needed environmental protection.
Fishing families consistently rank among the poorest in the Philippines. Where meat is not accessible, gleaned shellfish and variable catches under “Others” offer a vital bridge: diverse, accessible, and nutritionally relevant, as shown in data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.
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