Safety in the new normal

As relentless rains and strong winds battered Metro Manila this past weekend, a serious incident unfolded. In one of the city's busiest thoroughfares, a massive billboard collapsed.

- Joe Zaldarriaga

The structure toppled onto a few vehicles traversing the C5 Katipunan road and brought down a Meralco electric pole, causing major traffic standstill, endangering public safety, and disrupting power service to more than 1,000 customers.

Meralco crews wasted no time—swiftly responding to the scene, helping ease traffic congestion, and restoring electricity to affected customers.

Most importantly, no lives were lost. But the incident stands as a wake-up call: with climate change fueling more extreme and unpredictable weather, there is an urgent need for stricter regulations on billboard structures to better protect public safety.

We have seen in recent years how climate change has transformed weather patterns, ranging from extreme dry spells to super typhoons. Although Typhoon Crising had already exited the Philippine area of responsibility, it intensified the southwest monsoon (habagat), unleashing torrential rains and powerful winds across Metro Manila.