Eastern Visayas Media Without Borders
by Evmwb
Tacloban City–House Minority Leader and 4Ps Party-list Rep. Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan has urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to certify as urgent the passage of a National Land-Use Law, following the torrential rains and massive flooding unleashed by Typhoon Tino that killed many people and displaced hundreds of thousands across Central Visayas, particularly in Metro Cebu.
“The tragic loss of lives and the widespread devastation caused by Typhoon Tino once again expose the severe gaps in our national land-use planning and disaster risk management,” Libanan said. “We are paying the price for decades of policy inaction.”
Libanan stressed that proper land-use planning is absolutely imperative for disaster risk reduction, climate resilience, and environmental integrity.
“Proper land-use planning is a matter of survival in this era of brutal climate change,” he said. “We must put an end to building communities in inherently unsafe areas — those prone to riverine and urban flooding, landslides, and coastal storm surges.”
The minority leader warned that the Philippines is bound to face stronger typhoons that bring more rainfall in shorter periods, and that new land-use policies are needed to help the country adapt swiftly to such harsh conditions.
“To protect our people, we must put in place forward-looking land-use policies that allow us to swiftly adapt to harsher climate conditions while safeguarding our ecological systems — our forests, watersheds, and protected areas that stand as our natural defenses against disaster,” Libanan said.
Libanan explained that the proposed National Land-Use Law will serve as the nation’s master framework for the allocation, utilization, management, and development of lands and natural resources.
“This will give the Philippines a coherent strategy to balance human settlement, economic growth, and environmental protection,” he said.
Libanan lamented that Congress has been trying to enact a National Land-Use Law since the 1990s.
“In fact, in the 19th Congress, the House passed the National Land-Use Bill on third and final reading,” he said. “Sadly, the Senate was unable to act on the measure.”
He concluded: “We cannot afford to delay any longer. Every typhoon that ravages our communities underscores the urgent need for a comprehensive national land-use policy. Let us act now — before the next storm claims more lives and homes.”
Tino dumped 183 mm of rain over Cebu in 24 hours – far more than Odette
Tino unleashed extreme rainfall over the Visayas, including Metro Cebu, delivering “more than a month’s worth of rain within 24 hours,” according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
While PAGASA has yet to release precise rainfall figures, a foreign news website claimed that Tino dumped 183 millimeters (mm) of rain over parts of Cebu in a 24-hour period — an amount that equals nearly two months’ worth of normal rainfall in just one day.
The deluge triggered flash floods and landslides that claimed multiple lives and displaced thousands, particularly in low-lying and urban areas.
By comparison, Typhoon Odette in 2021 brought roughly 120 to 150 mm of rainfall across much of Cebu within 24 hours.
The Philippines lies along the western Pacific Ocean’s typhoon belt – an area where almost one-third of the world’s most intense tropical cyclones form.
The World Risk Index has consistently ranked the Philippines as the most disaster-prone country in the world, followed by India and Indonesia.
The index ranks the exposure and vulnerability of 193 countries to natural hazards, including typhoons, flooding, sea level rise, droughts, earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions.
The Philippines also straddles the Pacific Ring of Fire where many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions happen.
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