DEL CARMEN, Siargao Island – Belen Ga and her family thought they had experienced the most powerful typhoon in their lives almost four decades ago through Typhoon Ike (locally known as Nitang in 1984), only to be proven wrong by Super Typhoon Rai (locally known as Odette) that wreaked havoc in Siargao Island late last […]

Hundreds of poor families from several flood-prone villages in Cotabato City now have access to high-tech financial services that are compliant with the Sharia Islamic tradition. These project participants of the Strengthening Urban Preparedness through Pre-emptive Action (SUPPA) have previously been unable to open bank accounts and be part of the formal financial banking system. Now […]

In 2008, massive flooding in Cotabato City forced thousands of residents, including the then pregnant Asmina Salik and her family, to spend almost a month in an evacuation center. At that time, the Rio Grande de Mindanao, the longest river in Mindanao and the second largest river system in the Philippines, swelled due to heavy […]

Sixty-one-year-old Babu Baikan Tumindeg spent at least 10 years working as an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in Qatar. She was on vacation in her hometown of Cotabato City when fate played a cruel joke on her. In late 2019, she lost her right eye to diabetes, a condition that prevented her from going back to […]

This article was originally written by Ryan Sorote on https://climatetracker.org/the-irony-of-negros-islands-abundant-renewabl… Ninety-two-year-old Consolacion Tordaneso has been living on the outskirts of San Carlos City for decades with her husband Federico, 88, in their small shack without any electricity. In December last year, the Diocese of San Carlos distributed Eco-lamps to some 50 households without electricity. The Tordanesos […]

LOOK: To address persistent flooding in Brgy. Betag, La Trinidad, Benguet (as shown in the last 2 photos taken during Typhoon Ompong in 2018), tunnels or flood box culverts were installed to divert water out of the valley area. The construction of these culverts is part of the community-led project (CLP) in Brgy. Betag under […]

This article is originally written by Gaea Katreena Cabico for Philippine Star on April 7, 2022 (https://www.philstar.com/headlines/climate-and-environment/2022/04/07/21…) as part of Oxfam Pilipinas’ Climate Journalism Fellowship. MANILA, Philippines — Purok Ilaya, a small farming community in Bacolod City in Negros Occidental, has not been reached by power lines even though it is located in one of Western […]

RIZAL, Philippines — Barangay Laiban in Tanay, Rizal is just 30 minutes away from the town’s main road, but the settlement of around 700 people has been left behind not only in electrification but also in education. Students in the village rely on gasoline lamps so they could study and do their homework come nightfall. Before […]

Nurse Anabeth Legaspo has been providing prenatal care to pregnant women in Cagwait town, Surigao del Sur for several years. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced many towns into lockdown in March 2020, women stopped going to the health center for their regular check-ups with Nurse Anabeth. Due to movement restrictions during the lockdown, health […]

Residents of a relocation site at the outskirt of Dolores town in Eastern Samar province waited years for their dream to have a well-constructed and clean communal toilet to become a reality. Until less than a year ago, many villagers had no option but to take a lengthy walk to a field to urinate and […]