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Two days after “Ondoy's” torrential rains and the unprecedented floods in Metro Manila, I received a deluge of e-mail from my high school classmates sharing their own tales of woe and misfortune during that rainy Saturday and appealing for relief and assistance. Banawe, Cordillera and nearby streets in Quezon City were submerged all the way up to the second floor of the houses. Marie's ailing dad, his caregivers and house help had to climb all the way to the rooftop to avoid the rising waters. Colette's two young boys had to walk on roofs to get to a neighbor's house. Xandra's home and school, which she had tirelessly built for the last two decades, were in shambles. Raissa's 6-year-old daughter and mother were transported in a basin and barrel, respectively, to reach higher ground.

These heart-rending incidents happened around Sta. Mesa Heights in Quezon City where my high school alma mater is located. As we heard in the news, there were even more horrific cases in Cainta, Pasig and Marikina.

Coincidentally, the John Carroll Institute concluded a three-day forum on adaptation to climate change in the same week Ondoy hit Metro Manila. The forum was actually part of a bigger project on climate change and justice being implemented by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and the Institute for Social and Development Studies at the Jesuit Munich School of Philosophy, with funding support from MISEREOR and Munich Re Foundation.

The interesting thing about this project is that it considers climate change from the perspective of justice. In particular, it aims to analyze the interactions between preventing hazardous climate change and reducing global poverty. The ultimate objective is to come up with appropriate strategies and specific recommendations for global climate and energy policies that will support rather than undermine national and international efforts towards poverty reduction. Such recommendations and options for action can only be meaningfully formulated with sufficient support from and consultation with the various stakeholders, including the academe or researchers, business, church-based actors, the government, policymakers and civil society, particularly the marginalized groups.

It was established at the onset of the forum that aside from mitigation (or efforts to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases), the response needed today is adaptation since climate change is already here. This is evident in the unpredictability of the weather and the El Niño and La Niña phenomena in the past years, and which Ondoy exemplified.

In one of the sessions, Ateneo sociology professor Dr. Emma Porio presented the results of her study on the vulnerability and adaptation to climate change among the urban poor. She pointed out that climate change for many of us is an inconvenience, but for most people living in Metro Manila and other mega-cities, especially the urban poor, it is a disaster. A 10-minute heavy downpour along Katipunan Avenue would cause flooding that would, in turn, lead to heavy traffic. But for the urban poor who live in the low-lying or swampy and dangerous areas of the city, 10 minutes of continuous rain could mean destruction or loss of lives and property.

Porio noted that this sector is already at a social disadvantage, having no security of tenure and being often subjected to inhumane ways of eviction and demolition. They also have to live with the stigma of being looked upon as squatters, thieves or snatchers, a menace to society and an eyesore to urban living and development.

Two days after the forum, Ondoy corroborated these vulnerabilities. Aggravated by the release of water from the dams, the floods that came with continuous rains for more than 24 hours devastated Metro Manila, sparing no one and hitting those residing in low-lying areas the most, including my batchmates, officemates, neighbors and even celebrity residents of gated communities. Rescue efforts by government and ordinary citizens followed. Private organizations, such as schools, foundations, church-based organizations and the media initiated relief work and assistance. Everyone pitched in, no matter how small and in whatever form, be it in cash, in kind or in volunteer work.

The outpouring of donations and support to friends as well as strangers is indeed heartwarming. Volunteerism especially among the youth who are usually apathetic in these situations is laudable. But more than these relief efforts, long-term and sustainable solutions have to be designed and carried out soon, now that climate change has become painfully real. Reducing one's vulnerability to the yearly typhoons and other natural disasters entails pro-active and preventive measures by the government in cooperation with the private sector. Porio underscored land-use planning along with livelihood and health programs by local governments to be undertaken in consultation and coordination with the communities they serve. Organizing and capability building of communities for such programs, including disaster-preparedness, will also be useful. It is hoped that the same interest and enthusiasm shown by the youth, and concerted efforts of the government and private sectors will be sustained to bring about lasting results.

With climate change upon us, another Ondoy, “Reming” or “Milenyo” will surely strike again, possibly when we least expect it. It's about time the government, with the indispensable support of the private sector, carried out constructive work.

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