Severe Tropical “Maring” traversed along its path and battered northern Luzon provinces in Cagayan region and Ilocandia, however gusty conditions due to its “expansive wind field” and the enhanced southeast monsoon also caused a heavy downpour of rains in almost all parts of the country, including Visayas and northern part of Mindanao.
The Palawan archipelago, the country’s westernmost and separated group of islands was not spared by the wrath of habagat triggered by Maring, since it dampens heavy rains and flooded some parts of Palawan, specifically in southern towns in Narra, Brooke’s Point, Quezon, Bataraza and even in Puerto Princesa City.
Climate change is redefining what habagat are for many among us. Despite being outside from the Severe Tropical Storm Maring’s path, the amount of rain brought by habagat was so intense that it caused flooding to some parts of Palawan.
This shocking event that unfolds Palawan was considered new by many, who claimed that it never happened before in this beautiful island considered as the country’s last ecological frontier.
These rains are the new normal and people must learn to adapt. We are facing a phenomenon and we never experienced in the past and this is happening rapidly. Enhanced monsoon rains or habagat is linked as among the effects of climate change.
The Climate Conference in Warsaw, Poland in 2013, discussed the possibility of compensating damages caused by extreme weather linked to Climate Change and compensation for third world countries who are prone natural calamities.
Among the important topics discussed during the conference were commitment to accommodate climate refugees in developed countries, reacting effectively to disasters of scale, Solidary Payments, Research to Minimize Losses, Sharing Knowledge, Insurance, and what framework is needed to support these efforts, among others.
Almost three decades ago, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s 1992 Earth Summit, new taxes, user charges, emission permits based on the polluter-pay-principle was introduced and proposed.
The Philippines is among the countries in the world that experienced the large brunt of the climate change, yet, we are also among the top 10 most vulnerable countries in the world to endure damage from typhoons and extreme events. Scientists have linked severe floods, strong typhoons and habagt as among the effects of Climate Change.
Every year, at least 20 tropical cyclones enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR). In each year, 10 cyclones are expected to become typhoons, with five of them are potentially very destructive. The Time Magazine in its article published in 2013 described that the Philippines is the most exposed country in the world to tropical storms.
The Climate Change is likely to worsen the situation, with extreme weather events including floods, heavy rains caused by monsoon winds, and tropical storms and typhoons posing risks to many parts of our country. Therefore, all of us, leaders, decision-makers, and even the public should adapt to these inevitable changes fearlessly. Let us also face this new normal resolutely by executing concrete actions right now—before it is too late.