𝐁𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐥 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬, 𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬

Severe Tropical Storm Kristine exposes the lack of sustainable, efficient solutions in Bicol as farmers and numerous displaced families endure severe loss.

In Bulusan, Libon, vast amounts of rice fields drowned in floodwater brought by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine on October 23, paralyzing at least 100 families whose livelihood largely depend on farming.

Marivic Magdalo, 48, one of the severely hit farmers, says that in her entire 30 years of living in Bulusan, Kristine brought the ‘deepest and worst’ flooding in their barangay.

Asked if they were prompted to evacuate hours before Kristine’s peak, Magdalo claims no warnings arrived, adding that residents were not able to anticipate what they describe as “rapid flooding” that reached above head level.

“Kristine’s flooding was so rapid, people couldn’t prepare in time. Even our house was submerged,” Magdalo said.

Four days after Kristine hit, Magdalo’s two-hectare rice field, waterlogged and submerged, lost palay (unmilled rice grains) worth about PHP 20 thousand, just days before harvest.

Similar to Magdalo, Jhammayne Martirez’s two-storey house was not spared from flooding. While navigating the murky floodwater to retrieve sunken clothes, she says Kristine’s severity was immeasurable and unexpected.

"That's why many things were washed away and damaged — we thought it was just at signal number 1, but it turned out to be stronger. Even my uncle claims that, ever since he was born here, no typhoon had brought as much flooding as Kristine."

Further into Brgy. Bulusan, floodwater at Sitio Calambay is relatively deeper compared to its neighboring areas, requiring small boats for relief distributors to reach families who were still stranded on their roofs.

John Montejo’s family owns a 20-hectare rice field, farming vehicles and equipment. His family, who goes to the barangay basketball court every now and then to collect relief aids, suffers a loss amounting to at least PHP 1 million.

Meanwhile, Bulusan kagawad, Christian Lastrollo, was doing a door-to-door and on-foot relief distribution in fear that some residents may pass out due to starvation. He also added that some families have not had clean water for three days.

Lastrollo’s initial list of damages in Brgy. Bulusan, including rice fields, houses, and equipment, totalled PHP 50 million.

“All crops here are supposed to be harvested for about several weeks from now, that’s why farmers are dealing with great financial loss. Farming is our main livelihood here,” Lastrollo. who still has 90 families to visit, said.

Contrary to claims about the absence of pre-emptive evacuation warnings, Lastrollo explained the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) was already sending texts early noon. Most residents, however, do not have mobile phones to access weather updates.

“Around 10 in the morning, [MDRRMO] has been sending text messages. But most residents don’t have mobile phones, that’s why they were not informed of Kristine’s intensity,” Lastrollo said.

Overall, in an initial damage report of the Department of Agriculture - Bicol (DA - V), the agricultural sector of Bicol region incurred over PHP 2.1 billion worth of damages.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), measuring the volume of production by regions from 1987-2024, shows that Bicol is one of the biggest rice-producing areas in the country, recognizing the agricultural sector as its economic limb.

For a province that is also considered as a ‘gateway’ of typhoons, Bicol residents, particularly farmers, seek more than just temporary relief such as canned goods and rice sacks.

Moreover, continuous highway overlay projects form Bulusan’s catch-basin-like geographic feature, making the barangay prone to flooding during torrential rains.

Lastrollo airs his dismay on the discontinued dredging project that would supposedly serve as an exit point for immense surges of floodwater. Additionally, road projects only worsened the situation by blocking the natural flow of water.

"The main problem here is: overlaying has raised the road level. Like a funnel, our place is the lowest point. Another problem we have here is the dredging project that hasn't been put into action yet,” Lastrollo exclaimed.

Lastrollo is pertaining to the 2-meter narrow end of Lake Bato, saying that if dredged before Kristine, floodwater would have not risen drastically.

"Dredging project needs to be done. Because if there were exit points, maybe this flood wouldn't have reached this deep,” Lastrollo added.

For the meantime, Bulusan residents with small boats have resorted to fishing. While the rest just rely on relief donations.

While temporary relief efforts from youth-led intiatives like Youth Ambassadors of Albay Province (YAAP) are helping residents of Libon from time to time, many in the Bicol region are collectively calling for more sustainable solutions.

For instance, Bulusan barangay kagawad, Christian Lastrollo, is demanding for the completion of a long-delayed dredging project to improve drainage and mitigate flooding in the future.

Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office chief, Engr. Milade Azur says that one of the vulnerabilities of Legazpi City’s residents is poverty incidence.

In the densely urbanized Legazpi City, displaced families who are left with fewer options live in widely available areas despite the risks they are exposed to.

Lorena, who lives just alongside the Oro Site canal in Masbate Compound, Legazpi City, experienced shoulder-level flooding. She blames the trash-clogged canal, and the expansion of informal settlers in their area whose houses block crucial waterways.

“Floodwater has nowhere to go to subside. It cannot even pass through the main exit point leading to the canal because the [Masbate Compound] is full of trash and houses. That’s why flood water here rises drastically,” Lorena, who’s not new to flooding in their area, said.

Another resident from Masbate Compound said it would take her almost a year to recover the financial loss.

Azur cited factors she suspects that made the flooding severe, pointing fault at the disconnectivity of underground waterways and the ‘immeasurable’ amount of garbage blocking the drainage systems.

“What’s lacking in Legazpi City is the connection between waterways systems. They have already been widened, but they are not connected,” Azur said.

All 46 barangays in Legazpi City were flooded in varying depths, the deepest being in Ilawod East and Cabangan West, where most calls for rescue were made.

Even with MDRRMO’s budget being concentrated on planned measures for mitigating flooding, Ilawod East and West, which already have what Azur considers as ‘sufficient’ drainage systems, were still surged with floodwater, saying “if no urgent adaptive projects are made, Legazpi City is not yet ready for another typhoon with Kristine’s severity.”

For now, Legazpi City LGUs, through its City Engineer Office, plan on linking strategic waterways systems, specifically the Brgy. Maoyod and Ilawod drainage systems, and improve flood control systems by year 2025.

The volume of water released by Kristine, based on the summarized data across different weather stations in the province, averaged at 600mm per hour, equivalent to twice of Legazpi City’s monthly rainfall record, while the threshold for flooding is at 150mm per hour.

While some stranded students at the Bicol University campus and residents from far-fetched areas like Bulusan slam Local Government Units (LGU) for the late notice of pre-emptive evacuation, Azur refutes claims. She clarified they were already releasing early information that Kristine would be bringing beyond torrential rainfalls.

“I beg to disagree. We were technically preparing for flooding, that’s why we conducted a pre-disaster risk meeting along with barangay officials that we are preparing for flooding, rain-induced landslides, and even lahar. But some did not take seriously our advice,” Azur said.

However, Azur admits there was a delay from PAGASA in relaying information down to municipal offices, mentioning the latter’s rainfall forecast only being at provincial level.

“PAGASA only forecasts rainfall with provincial data, not municipal data, because flooding may or may not happen in Legazpi City,” Azur explained.

Azur recalled CDRRMO being grilled on September 17 for the late announcement of class suspension in Legazpi City while Daraga town, a place not easily flooded, already postponed classes in all levels. The reason being, PAGASA’s forecast declared it as a yellow warning, but turned out to bring knee-level flooding.

Aside from a swift information dissemination on calamities, Azur also urges the improvement of drainage systems through better structural measures coupled with nature-based solutions.

Meanwhile, Azur and other concerned organizations suggest supporting programs from the Department of Agriculture that aim to provide adaptive livelihood for farmers and fisherfolk to stretch their means of mitigating risks from natural disasters.