As Typhoon Ofel, internationally known as Usagi, threatens to unleash yet another round of flooding, destruction, and displacement along with Severe Tropical Storm Nika inside the Philippines, I can’t help but think of my two childhood memories:
- Usagi, the name of Sailor Moon—Usagi Tsukino, a beloved heroine in Japanese pop culture who fights for justice and the protection of her world.
- Unagi, a joke from a Friends episode where Ross misinterprets the Japanese word “unagi” claiming it as “a state of total awareness” that is vital for self-defense.
So, while we burst out of laughter from Ross’ jokes about “unagi”, the reality of storms like Usagi is not at all funny. More so with Sailor Moon, whose protagonist is battling against a system that continually pushes the world closer to chaos, the Philippines is yet again facing an ongoing struggle particularly with the devastating impacts of climate crisis.
However, unlike Sailor Moon whose victories are marked by transformation and resilience, the onslaught of typhoons we face year after year can no longer be dismissed as merely “natural.” Such severe typhoons from Carina, Enteng, Kristine, Leon, Merce and now with Ofel represent something much worse—human-made disasters.
In the last week of October, Kristine was the 11th cyclone to enter the Philippines this year, followed by Leon and Marce. Over nine million people were severely affected by these storms causing widespread flooding and claiming 150 lives. These reports repeat every year and with every storm season reveals the same vulnerabilities especially among the poorest and most marginalized communities.
Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) has stepped up once again and offered crucial cash assistance to those affected by recent storms particularly in the Bicol Region. Families with young children registered in the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program) are also the target benefactors of the said food and non-food items provided by the WFP and the Marcos Jr. administration.
While such aids are essential, these measures do not address a cycle of devastation and recovery that international donors alone cannot break. Environmental advocates and rights groups have denounced Marcos Jr. administration following the short-term solutions like cash transfers, temporary shelters, and emergency food packs instead of investing in long-term actions to climate justice.
In fact, Marcos Jr. administration has already put premium in the prioritization of infrastructure and reclamation projects under the guise of development. Data from Official Development Assistance noted the shifted priorities over time, from responding national concerns such as Typhoon Yolanda, social protection, urbanization, to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, his administration focuses on such projects touted as efforts to spur economic growth and urbanization. Reclamation and unchecked urban expansion have already been displacing major coastal communities alongside their livelihoods across the country at the expense of natural barriers and flood mitigation. All these to push marginalized communities closer to disaster with each new typhoon.
Sure, we are grateful for the WFP’s ongoing support but lest we forget to demand more from our own leaders. We need accountability from the Marcos Jr. administration. We need a government that prioritizes people-centered development over profit-driven projects that perpetuate our vulnerability. The cycle of dependence on international aid will only continue if the administration fails to adopt sustainable, climate-conscious policies that address our communities’ real needs. And for as long as our leaders ignore these deeper issues, every typhoon, whether it’s named Usagi or something else, will continue to remind us of a system that values profit over people.
Ross may have made a comedic prose about Unagi, but here in the Philippines, it’s a reminder of the real price we pay for decisions that ignore our climate reality. Bringing in Sailor Moon’s spirit into this discussion is also fitting. We need more leaders who, like Usagi, rise to the occasion to fight injustice. If our leaders channeled even a fraction of that protective resolve into climate justice, we might finally be able to step off the endless cycle of dependency and devastation.
Disasters are no longer just “natural”, and only through human responsibility can we change this course.
