The Philippines is absurd
Analysis and Opinion
By Joe America
When I was in college, “absurd” was a word the intellectuals would use. You know, the smart kids. It would often be accompanied by a reference to the great Czech author Franz Kafka who wrote big thick obtuse (barely understandable) German novels about the absurdities of life, and politics.
Let’s define the term using our own words.
Absurd is an adjective describing human acts that make no sense if you think enough about them. Corrupt legislators investigating corruption is an example of an absurd act.
“Senator Estrada fired off questions about how much the luxury cars cost, clearly trying to humiliate the presumably corrupt witness.”
Well, he would know, wouldn’t he?
Senator Marcoleta’s Blue Ribbon Committee should be renamed the Blue Ribbon Charade Show because, first, asking criminals to incriminate themselves is absurd, and, second, expecting judges who’ve engaged in corruption of the wallet or mind to demonstrate high-minded principles is laughable. I consider yanking ABS-CBN’s license to be an example of corruption of the mind. And corruption of the soul, to crash such a cherished Filipino institution.
The investigation of corrupt contractors who fed money to corrupt government officials is shaking the foundations of Philippine democracy, such as it is.
Corruption is an industry here, the way government officials obtain first world income in a third world country. Expecting the thousands of corrupt souls, most of whom are ardently religious, to suddenly accept poverty is absurd. They’ll lie and cheat and bury evidence, or scapegoat a few crooks who forgot to hide their obscene wealth. But they need the money to live in the style to which they’ve become accustomed.
The only way out of the mess is to adopt the Singapoore Solution, pay government people a respectable salary and then jail the corrupt immediately, without passing Go or letting impunity sneak into the picture. String ’em up by the genitals if you need a more graphic explanation.
But I digress. . .
In what other ways is the Philippines absurd? Let me list a few. . .
- It is absurd to scream at good government officials who make a mistake while voting for bad officials who ARE a mistake.
- It is absurd to look at the past and be resilient rather than look at the future and build opportunity into it, with career paths rather than day labor.
- It is absurd to not manufacture things using the nation’s low cost labor advantage, whilst sending workers overseas to labor.
- It is absurd not to use computers in schools and government agencies in favor of paper.
- It is absurd to laugh while LGU heads send sand to China to help them occupy Philippine seas, versus, say, re-instituting firing squads.
- The Senate is absurd, the House merely corrupt, not to mention the Supreme Court, the Ombudsman, COMELEC, this agency or that, and LGUs. Absurd or corrupt, I dunno. Weird and destructive of sense, for sure.
Oh, I’m sure there are others. Absurd can be recognized because it makes you want to laugh and cry at the same time.
What are your pet absurdities in the Philippines?
________________________
Cover photo from Manila Bulletin article “Estrada: Blue Ribbon panel keen on probing flood control projects, inequitable water joint venture pacts“.
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The Society of Honor by Joe America 
credit to sister of Irineo: Absurdistan
Yes, good recollection.
Oh, that one. I said that maybe a decade ago and when she said it probably was a quarter of a century ago by now, when she was in her early 20s. She did visit the Philippines a lot in the past year and now sometimes tells me to drop my reservations about visiting. But one can see in the recommended articles that Joe already called the Philippines absurd back in 2012. And the Kafka comparisions already were an analogy Joe used back then.
The only Kafka novel I ever read was “The Castle”, a wonderful treatment on the absurdities of government. My wife at the time was working on her doctorate in literary criticism and I was striving to remain intellectually attractive to her, having accomplished the physical, lol.
I recognize I’m repeating myself a lot these days because it seems there is nothing new under the sun. Well, some readers may have left and others perhaps have come in and the internet remains a huge bit of space to try to fill.
At least our press is still free, and through the investigation of the flood-control fund plunder the warts of all the politicians are still seen by the masses.
I find the rest of the world more absurd in that there’s so much entertainment, and yet disgusting injustices. Even more worrisome is that at any moment a wider war could happen.
Oh, and there’s one more additional greater absurdity recently across the pond, as that real-estate greedo wants the US DOD be named back as Department of War.
Oh, the absurdities in the US have degraded to complete lunacy, outright crazy people with power. The US is tragic and scary.
that’s about right, dept of defense is now dept of war and trump will be sending armed troops to hellholes on earth: chicago, then to baltimore, etc. as well, trump has already recently pulverized a drug smuggling yacht and blew it at sea, a warning to drug cartels not to try his patience.
That’s true, the Philippines is predominantly rational even if the framework is built on corruption. Consider the post not a blanket statement, but a effort to raise an anti-corruption voice, among other naggings and pet peeves. Thanks for properly balancing out my literary waywardness.
I am having problems with CRINK plus India.
We recently had defense deals with India.
If they break out from Indo Pac, Aukus plus India then that is a problem.
In business deals maybe a problem too.
The US is so crazy these days, China is less threatening. India is taking care of herself and the Philippines should continue to build a bridge there, I think.
philippines being bridge has to be careful not to get burned at both ends. being friend to all could well mean being friend to none, shunned by both sides, put in the back burner and not taken seriously.
sometimes we have to evaluate ourselves and take sides and it had better be not china’s side, for china is likely to treat us like a minority, the way the tibetans and the urghurs are treated: the lucky ones are removed from their families and forced to work long hours in labor camps under horrendous working conditions. the unlucky ones end up in jail charged with espionage and spying, with possible punishment as death by firing squad. the super unlucky ones disappeared, never to be heard or seen again.
in US, the migrants are luckier, they are deported only to come back and try again, when the time is right.
That’s true, one needs to be seen as having both courage and conviction, or what’s the point? The US is so ugly, I’d recommend they find their greener pastures elsewhere.
The national village is still my explanation for the absurdity. For instance rituals of public shaming that Senate hearings (and social media trends) are might have worked in the barangays of old, where you ran into people all the time and could keep track of those with a bad record. Now one looks at the face of Sarah Discaya and sees no shame whatsoever. Calling someone walang hiya might still have worked in the 1950s or a little in the 1970s, but now? Folks often laugh it off.
There is nostalgia for seemingly simpler, better times. PNoy got voted into office by those nostalgic for what Cory could have been. Marcos Jr. got voted into office by those nostalgic for what the times of his father allegedly were. Actually they were simpler than today in many ways but already starting to fall apart, if you ask me from my 6 decades perspective.
The Philippines has so many of these hearings and anger on social media, if you ask me the forerunners of that were the televised Agrava trial (about who killed Ninoy) and the street buzz about it. Amplified by Radyo Bandido, the underground “moskito press” (good old offset printing I think, a robust means of printing a lot very cheaply) and finally Radyo Veritas and the rest is history.
Number two EDSA was the Erap impeachment trial with more drama, including a bank teller witness named Shakira Yu, a maid witness called Delia Rajas with and without alias, Miriam Santiago having people on the balcony cited in contempt for laughing and looking at her, finally a vote not to open an envelope as it was “immaterial and irrelevant” and a Senator judge making people mad by dancing and singing “no, no, no” as that vote won. This time it was the forerunner of social media, text messages, that summoned the national village to rise up.
EDSA 3 was the other barangay of the national village rising up for Erap. Was 2016 just EDSA 3 morphed into Facebook on mobile phones with a bit of free data? Now it used to be that in the Fifth Republic which started in 1986 and is officially still there but according to MLQ3 is in its death throes, there was often talk of Cha-Cha and Con-Con. In the El Filibusterismo of Rizal, students watching a French play in Manila are only waiting for the ladies to dance the Can-Can. But if you ask me, the past 39 years have been a cha-cha, one step forward, two steps back.
Alright, there is the historical movie Quezon now coming out sort of covering the politics from around 1916-1935 that made him President of the Commonwealth, taking off from where the movie Goyo ended around 1901 where Quezon had surrended to the USA before Aguinaldo.
Now In wonder what kind of a movie storyline the events I just mentioned will make: Agrava trial and EDSA one, the media and “social media” of then (including the rumor mills that were so hot even in the early 1980s that Makoy passed an Anti-Rumor Mongering Law, by decree), the military coups of the late 1980s, the short-lived euphoria during the economic boom in Ramos times, Erap, the drama of EDSA 2 and cellphones, then EDSA 3, the first President jailed by his/her successor (Erap by Gloria) and Mar Roxas among those getting him out of jail, the euphoria of Pnoy getting voted, called Aragorn by a journalist who supported him, the heavy criticism AND support he got (with blogs as the forerunners of modern influencer pages and channels), 2016, 2022 and 2025. It is a LONGER timespan than 1901-1935.
Oh, I also found out something interesting when I asked ChatGPT to analyze cheerful versus “hugot” (sentimental) Filipino music as trends. Short optimistic periods like the mid-1970s, mid-1990s, mid-2010s and 2024 all produced cheerful pop (Manila Sound, Gary V’s Hataw na and Jolina Magdangal, Paligoy-Ligoy and Tala, finally Pantropiko and Salamin Salamin) while the interludes of disappointment (my term) had sentimental music as themes. Now if Ninotchka Rosca’s State of War had the WW2 orphan Jake playing bluesy saxophone in the postwar Philippines, my imagined movie would have a cheerful/sentimental alternating soundtrack. The absurdity of a people somehow unable to figure out where to go and how to sustain progress. Ninotchka Rosca called it the Land of Constant Beginnings.
OK, with ChatGPT as my scriptwriter and myself as imagined producer, this is a first draft of something like an HBO series.
Act I – Glitter and Shadow (Mid-1970s)
Martial Law rules, but the economy hums. Jeepneys blast Manila Sound like Bongga Ka Day and Annie Batungbakal. Discos glow, malls thrive, and neon lights sparkle, even as arrests and curfews remind citizens of the dictatorship. Music acts as both escape and ironic commentary: a nation dancing under watchful eyes.
Concert moment: A small Manila theater features live bands performing Manila Sound hits; street dancers pop in the glow of transistor radios.
Act II – The Fires of Unrest (Early 1980s)
The Agrava trial dominates headlines. Marcos enforces the Anti-Rumor Law, but gossip spreads faster than the papers. Radios pump cheerful pop in public; sentimental OPM ballads fill homes. The tension of the era is mirrored in the alternating moods of the soundtrack.
Visual: Families whisper in sari-sari stores while teenagers secretly tape radio hits onto cassette tapes, an intimate act of rebellion.
Act III – The Yellow Dawn (1986–1992)
EDSA Uno: tanks halted by flowers, masses praying, crowds singing Bayan Ko. Cory Aquino rises as the emblem of democracy. But fragile governance faces military coups and an uncertain economy.
Concert moment: EDSA anniversary rallies become impromptu concert stages; youth sing along to folk-inspired protest songs, blending hope with unease.
Act IV – Tabako and Philippines 2000 (1992–1998)
Fidel Ramos, “Tabako,” cigars unlit, projects steadiness and optimism. Philippines 2000 envisions modernization. Cheerful pop dominates: Gary V’s Hataw Na, Jolina Magdangal, and boy/girl groups energize malls and TV.
Concert moment: Gary V arena shows, full of dancing youth; the city pulses with hope.
But the Asian Financial Crisis (1997) shatters the optimism, bringing minor-key OPM and melancholy to the forefront.
Act V – Populism and the Two EDSAs (1998–2001)
Erap Estrada rises as a populist icon. Corruption scandals and economic instability dominate headlines.
Pinoy Rock dominates youth culture: Eraserheads’ Ang Huling El Bimbo and Spoliarium, Rivermaya’s 214 and Kisapmata become anthems of longing and frustration.
Concert moment: UP Fair and city arenas pulse with young fans, music echoing social discontent.
EDSA Dos: SMS-powered uprisings, crowds clashing with police, rock and rebellion intertwined.
EDSA Tres: poor masses storming Malacañang, violent clashes juxtaposed against youth concerts and jam sessions, symbolizing a fractured nation.
Act VI – The Crises of Gloria (2001–2009)
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo promises stability but is engulfed in scandals:
Hello Garci and her I am sorry speech.
Susan Roces refuses reconciliation.
Trillanes mutinies captivate TV audiences.
Concert moment: Bamboo’s Hallelujah and Parokya ni Edgar’s satirical hits dominate bars and arenas, echoing public frustration.
Mar Roxas distances himself from Arroyo, later filing to free Erap. His momentum falters after Cory Aquino dies, paving the way for Pnoy Aquino’s rise.
Nadine Lustre appears in teen pop programs, mall tours, and interviews—representing youth optimism amidst political cynicism.
Act VII – Hope and Disappointment (2009–2016)
Pnoy Aquino governs with economic growth and visible reform. Optimism blooms; middle-class confidence rises.
Cheerful tracks like “Paligoy-Ligoy” with Nadine Lustre, a morena in a land of postcolonial beauty standards, dominate malls and jeepneys.
Political shadows loom:
Sara Duterte punches a Davao sheriff in 2011; the viral video becomes a symbol of populist defiance.
Yolanda (2013) devastates the Visayas.
Mamasapano (2015) kills dozens of SAF commandos, weakening public trust.
Concert moment: Eraserheads reunion, nostalgia meets contemporary pop, showing a youth caught between hope and disillusionment.
By 2016, Duterte rises nationally, capitalizing on the crises and populist anger.
Act VIII – A Nation Restless (2016–2025)
2016: Duterte wins the presidency, leveraging anger and crises (Yolanda, Mamasapano).
2016–2025: Most reformists lose, VP Leni doesn’t become President inspite of “President” Nadine Lustre supporting her as well as many icons of Filipino music. Marcos Jr. consolidates power but clashes with Sara Duterte, highlighting internal rifts.
2025: Youth-led reformist Senators capture national attention, fueled by social media campaigns and TikTok activism.
P-Pop boom:
SB19, BINI, and Alamat dominate charts; Alamat brings folklore and multilingual songs echoing Marcos-era nationalist themes.
Concert moment: Philippine Arena sells out for SB19 and BINI, world tours intercut with flood contractor hearings following nationwide flooding. Music juxtaposes celebration and catastrophe.
The nation celebrates idols on stage while confronting real-world failures—a cycle of triumph and disappointment.
Final Scene
Dawn. Aerial shot of Metro Manila: rivers swollen, skyscrapers glittering, shanties clinging to streets.
The soundtrack: “Multo” by Cup of Joe. Haunting, elegiac, as if the city itself sings of its ghosts.
“This is the Land of Constant Beginnings—forever hopeful, forever disappointed, forever starting again.”
(ChatGPT proposed Land of Constant Beginnings as the title, but if I were the producer I would give Ninotchka Rosca royalties for that. Her State of War Novel which goes from the late 1800s to the Martial Law period could be a prequel series. OK enough flights of fancy for now)
Totally exhausting. You’d have to have ambulances or free hard liquor in the lobby so people could recover from the trauma. “Land of Constant Beginnings” and “O’ rise ye land of happy fools” seem related to me.
I know why I don’t watch Pulang Araw, the GMA teleserye about the Japanese occupation. I already know what happened then and seeing it up close woven into daily life would be pretty intense.
Maybe there is a reason why historical movies haven’t quite gone beyond 1946 yet, it might hit home too much.
Right. That would be hard to watch.
Hmmm, I always go with blues, it seems, or rock for the rebellious anger. My anchor posts are eroding and it’s weird. Well, organized religion went some time ago in favor of my personal spiritual engagements with this idea or that building. Social media and journalism have become hell holes, the US truly frightening, and the remaining lifelines are family, the Philippines such as she is, and the intellectual friendships that allow me to trust that humanity still has some virtue attached to it.
OT but not: “Jakarta calling”
———————————–
Jakarta calling
By: Manuel L. Quezon III – @inquirerdotnet
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:06 AM September 03, 2025
On Aug. 28, as the Asia Sentinel reported, ongoing protests in Indonesia “entered a new and dangerous phase … with at least six officials’ homes looted by mobs.” The Sentinel said viral videos captured scenes that were nothing short of surreal. At two luxury residences belonging to lawmaker Ahmad Sahroni, mobs looted high-end items—from branded handbags to expensive watches, while others stomped on his collection of luxury cars. In another clip, crowds forced open a safe and began distributing bundles of cash found inside. The vandalized homes included that of Sri Mulyani Indrawati, “the internationally respected finance minister.”
The ongoing protests are fueled by many issues. Erin Cook, in her newsletter, sums it up: “Like just about everywhere, Indonesians are being squeezed and squeezed on cost-of-living pressures and housing, specifically, is a large part of that. This is only going to get worse as the US tariffs hit major industries and have a domino effect across the entire economy.” Rice is at its highest price in years, and taxes have been raised.
But one deed was the tipping point: a decision by lawmakers to vote themselves a 50-million-rupiah ($3,057) housing allowance (an amount 20 times the minimum wage). It didn’t help that other allowances and perks were justified by lawmakers because, for example, they experienced difficulties commuting, while other lawmakers made the mistake of trying to sound clever, which poured gasoline on the fire: calling protesters “the dumbest people in the world.”
As protests have grown, so has the ferocity of the police, coming on the heels of increasing police heavy-handedness in recent years.
Then, last Thursday, a Brimob (Mobile Brigade Corps) vehicle deliberately ran over a 21-year-old Gojek driver, “one of the army of ojol (ojek online, or ride-share motorbike drivers), across the country,” as Cook reported in her newsletter.
His death was caught on video, became a viral sensation, and helped ignite the wave of attacks on officials’ homes. Cook places his death in its proper political context, too: “An important thing to get across here is to understand what role the ojol plays in Indonesia … in their green (and sometimes orange or yellow) jackets, the drivers are ubiquitous and many … Indonesia’s ojol, as a group, runs the country, delivering people and packages across the archipelago. A secondary function of theirs is … they are eyes and ears in every single community in the entire country. With posts to rest at (and recharge phones) and enormous group chats, the intel gathered and capacity to organize is unlike any other labor group I’ve ever seen.”
The political class seems stunned, unable to even officially respond to the attacks on the homes of parliamentarians. Writes Cook, “Show me someone who loves a member of parliament and I’ll show you a weirdo.” In rallies, the public has begun calling for the dissolution of parliament.
President Prabowo Subianto, who is, so far, not the target of protests, canceled a foreign trip and appeared on TV with the heads of the major parties, announcing they’d agreed to revoke perks parliamentarians had given themselves, including a moratorium on overseas travel.
But he also warned against looting, adding that destruction of facilities would be severely punished. Government offices, police outposts, and regional legislative buildings have been put to the torch.
The police have announced they will exercise what Filipinos like to call “maximum tolerance.” Brownouts have started to occur, and there are widespread allegations that internet traffic has slowed and is spotty in some areas. Older Indonesians have started to refer to the May 1998 riots, which brought down Suharto and led to ethnic massacres in Jakarta.
Here at home, there is indignation and outrage aplenty, but the storm, so to speak, remains a virtual one. Neither Jakarta nor Bangkok (where people have been protesting their recently ex-PM’s slavish phone call to the ex-PM of Cambodia) has gone through 12 years of deep deprogramming to brainwash their population into believing that not only is public protest wrong, it is somehow the cause of the public’s misery.
Jakarta calling!
Do Filipinos think protesting is wrong? That’s new to me, and a surprise. I’m inclined to think they feel powerless, so what’s the point? Or they see the ludicrousness of the left’s anti-US rants and don’t care to be thought of as lunatic like that. There is no respectable popular rebel leadership in the Philippines, either. So it just doesn’t get to a critical mass.
https://x.com/Obi_Prodigalson/status/1964122873733550129 there is some anger though..
but now I recall how Ondoy made everyone mad in 2009 and it faded away, including consternation at a lavish dinner of Arroyo at the Le Cirque restaurant in New York City for $20K, seems the Philippines remembers where good people “fail” more than when bad people act as expected, see how obviously no one has forgotten Mar and PNoy as culprits for Yolanda.
Yes, I see it as pique mor than the kind of rage where someone has to actually leave the house or something. Lack of accountability has several dimensions I’d guess. It is FB anger, not streets anger, lol.
Even streets anger fades unless people get hurt or worse.
In our group chat, Gian and myself talked about value creation yesterday because I found the concept mostly lacking among Filipinos, observing that a lot of Filipinos abroad have or had shady businesses like trying to sell overpriced and substandard condos to their fellow migrants (now) or sell insurance policies they don’t need to them (80s) or substandard and overpriced German apartments with bad loan terms (90s) – or outright gambling in many forms.
None of that creates NEW value, it just passes what people have into pockets of other people. Agriculture and industry would create new value, really well organized services like the Indian software industry would, but I guess the entire idea that it is possible is missing. Most of the Philippine Left might believe the simplistic Karl Marx saying that property is theft and probably would be corrupt once in power as well. There is the joke going around now about foreign contractors who are proud of their wealth gained by pocketing 10% of a project, while Filipino contractors are proud of getting 100% of the project as they did nothing at all. Who knows what really goes on behind the scenes in developed countries, but stuff gets done over here, value is created.
Value creation is worth a blog article I think. It is not done well here for sure. The hillsides of Biliran are paved (cemented) with farm to market roads while water takes bridges out every storm. Priorities are not keyed to value.
What I like about value creation it is not just a buzzword that dies down and fades away.
Everything begins at home and the community that is the norm through out history.
Value is from important to precious to a mere statistic
From algebraic to philosophical.
While protests are seen as normally a domain of progressives, it is rare for groups other than them to be roused into violent outrage, as in the case of Estrada’s most hardcore fans charging forward to Malacañang demanding Arroyo’s neck, only to be repelled by the PSG.
But otherwise it’s not just the perception of powerlessness but also the overriding priority of making ends meet and be able to serve rice on the table. However, even that has its limits, as any sort of economic destabilization — if and when rice becomes impossible to buy — can eventually disrupt the search for manna and instead create general mass turmoil.
Ah, that makes a whole lot of sense. What is odd is the disconnect at voting time when the ability to find manna would be improved under good government rather than strongmen. The thinking process is more guts than analytics. Well, I agree that protests are not productive unless they are huge or, I suppose, slap at the US, strongman style. The left slaps, the media enlarge it by tight photos of 100 people, or three throwing paint on the Embassy sign.
If people had more trust in leaders, they’d vote better, I’m sure. So there is a logic to the cycle of corruption and the cynicism it promotes.
really, it is a gamble, for people to vote. they are not to know the leaders whom they voted are much involved in secret activities. even comelec did not know beforehand that these elected leaders/officials have priorly received millions of donated money from anomalous flood contractors. as well, voters are not privy to the knowledge that after election, flood contractors got their donation back when they were given flood control projects, sans kickbacks to further thank solons and lawmaker, thus ensuring the continuity of their secret activities.
eg. rep zaldy co’s name was mentioned in anomalous flood project and now he has gone to united states for treatment of low blood pressure of 90/60. he was reportedly well enough to travel long haul, and hydrated enough that he did not collapse o the tarmac.
That’s true. It is amazing how little we the so-called more educated and enlightened know about the people we vote for. We just read the clues we are given, as does everyone.
I like the way filipino youths are finding ghost flood projects; these modern day ghost busters were seen and caught throwing mud and defacing offices of flood contractors, the discayas. kapolisan exercised maximun tolerance toward the ghost busters, yet the discayas lawyer played scrooge and insist ghost busters be charged with damage to property and persecuted to the extent of the law!
now that is uber funniest! the money the discayas allegedly stole from public purse will be used to punish the ghost busters. ayan, the discayas inadvertently return the money back to the public.
dios mio, it would be uber crazy for courts of law to exercise undue legalese vs mud slinging ghost busters. for how else could a court explain how a blob of mud cost taxpayers millions in court fees! for that amount, ghost busters were better off burning the discayas office building!
ahem, I should not get ahead of meself. cooler heads might prevail and the ghost busters might be asked to just clean off the mud and wash off their graffiti, with a graffiti remover you can buy at the paint shop.
Moral inversion, when the good become bad for doing bad acts to punish the bad.
OT also interesting:
———————–
Here’s a detailed and accessible analysis based on the scientific findings of the UP Resilience Institute under Dr. Mahar Lagmay, integrating meteorological data, urban planning insights, and climate resilience principles.
🌧️ Scientific Analysis of the August 2025 Quezon City Floods
Based on the findings of Dr. Mahar Lagmay and the UP Resilience Institute
1. 📍 Why Quezon City Was Hit Hardest
The flooding was not Metro Manila-wide—it was hyperlocalized.
Rainfall data from multiple weather stations across the region revealed that:
• Quezon City and Nangka, Marikina received an extraordinary concentration of rainfall, while other areas remained relatively unaffected.
• This anomaly underscores the importance of localized weather monitoring and targeted urban planning.
2. 🌊 Rainfall Intensity and Volume
The numbers were staggering:
Metric Value
Total Rainfall (24 hours) = 141 mm
Peak Rainfall Intensity = 121 mm/hour
Peak Time = 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Comparison: Typhoon Ondoy ~90 mm/hour (still under review)
This means Quezon City experienced more intense rainfall in one hour than what many cities receive in an entire day.
The sheer volume overwhelmed even well-designed drainage systems.
3. 🏙️ Why the Streets Flooded So Quickly
The flooding wasn’t just due to rain—it was due to rainfall delivered too fast for the city’s infrastructure to absorb or redirect.
• Urban surfaces like concrete and asphalt are impermeable, preventing natural absorption.
• Drainage systems, even those recently upgraded, were not designed for this level of intensity.
• The short burst of extreme rainfall created flash flood conditions, especially in low-lying and densely built areas.
4. 📐 Was This Foreseen?
Yes—and this is where science meets governance.
• The Drainage Master Plan of Quezon City, developed in partnership with the UP Resilience Institute, had already identified the flood-prone zones that were affected.
• These areas were mapped using flood hazard simulations, historical rainfall data, and urban topography.
• Residents in these zones had been informed and capacitated to respond, but the scale and speed of the rainfall exceeded typical preparedness thresholds.
5. 🔬 Scientific Takeaways
• Localized Climate Events: Urban flooding is increasingly driven by microclimate anomalies—not just typhoons or seasonal monsoons.
• Peak Intensity Matters: Infrastructure must be designed not just for total rainfall, but for peak hourly intensity, which is often the tipping point.
• Drainage Planning Must Be Dynamic: Static plans must evolve with climate data, urban expansion, and real-time monitoring.
🛠️ Recommendations Moving Forward
1. Real-Time Rainfall Monitoring: Expand localized rain gauge networks and integrate with early warning systems.
2. Infrastructure Audit: Ensure all flood control projects align with the Drainage Master Plan and undergo environmental impact assessments.
3. Nature-Based Solutions: Incorporate green infrastructure—bioswales, permeable pavements, and retention parks—to absorb excess water.
4. Community Engagement: Continue capacitating residents in high-risk zones with drills, education, and access to emergency resources.
5. Climate-Adaptive Governance: Treat flooding not as a seasonal nuisance but as a climate resilience challenge requiring inter-agency coordination.
Dr. Lagmay’s analysis is a wake-up call—not just about rainfall, but about readiness. The science was sound.
The warnings were clear.
Now, the challenge is to ensure that governance keeps pace with climate reality.
———————————
“If the 1941 Frost-Arellano Master Plan for Quezon City was followed, then all the city’s major waterways would have had wide green easements of 20-50 meters. Additionally, large parks were provided for the city (due to the fact that a landscape archtiect – Louis P. Croft, was involved in the planning). 85 years ago the original consultants knew all these would accommodate torrential rain. Sadly this was not followed and the water code only stipulates an easement requirement of three meters. So why does it flood in QC (or anywhere else in the metro)?”
Biliran also got pounded. Well, the mountains tend to collect the high-intensity rain and channel it into enormous rising tides along river channels that play havoc with the corruption weakened infrastructure, overflow, and run quickly into the sea. Someone should be empowered to see how the Espina family raises money.