Climate change is not coming, it's already here

If there’s anything the past few weeks have made painfully clear, it’s this: Climate change is no longer a looming threat.

- REY ROBES ILAGAN

It’s already here and it’s drowning us.

Tropical storm Crising was the headline, but it was the habagat—the southwest monsoon it dragged in—that brought more damage to different sectors. Over P1.9 billion worth of agricultural damage, another P9.4 billion in infrastructure losses, and 31 lives lost, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. States of calamities were declared in nearly 200 cities and municipalities across the country.

These aren’t just numbers. These are homes washed out, harvests ruined, and families grieving.

PAGASA reported record rainfall in just a short span, overwhelming drainage systems and turning major cities, including Metro Manila, into inland seas. Work and school came to a halt. A total of 1,045 areas suspended classes, while 911 areas saw work stopped. These were not precautionary suspensions; they were reactive, an attempt to keep people safe from impassable roads and rising floodwaters.