What native Filipino homes teach us about climate resilience

It's the rainy season once again, and with that comes tropical cyclones, heavy downpours, and frequent floods.

- Text and photos by KARA SANTOS

It's the rainy season once again, and with that comes tropical cyclones, heavy downpours, and frequent floods. The need to build more sustainable and resilient houses is more urgent than ever, especially with the rise in extreme weather events like heat waves, wildfires, and droughts globally due to climate change.

But way before green building standards became a thing, native Filipino architecture was already designed to adapt to the country's harsh tropical climate, floods, and natural disasters, as seen in various architectural studies.

One of the best examples can still be found in Batanes, where iconic typhoon-proof stone houses embody resilience.

A few years ago, I had an eye-opening experience with Ivatan architecture while staying a week in Batanes. During a "voluntourism" trip organized by the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), we helped rebuild a stone house on Sabtang Island that was being converted into a homestay. During this trip, I saw firsthand how homes were built to endure Batanes' harsh weather and blend naturally with the landscape.

There's been a growing movement to preserve traditional Filipino architecture as part of a shift toward sustainable building.

Here are just some reasons that show how native Filipino architecture embodies resilience.