An opposition lawmaker has called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to certify as urgent and sign into law a pending national land-use bill to mitigate typhoon devastation. House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan highlighted gaps in land-use planning exposed by Typhoon Tino. The bill aims to provide a framework for managing lands and resources amid climate challenges.
In the wake of Typhoon Tino's destruction, House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to prioritize House Bill 2130, a national land-use measure authored by Deputy Minority Leader Leila de Lima. Speaking on November 9, 2023, Libanan emphasized the bill's role in addressing 'severe gaps in our national land-use planning and disaster risk management.' He stated, 'The tragic loss of lives and the widespread devastation caused by Tino once again expose... We are paying the price for decades of policy inaction.'
Libanan described proper land-use planning as 'absolutely imperative for disaster risk reduction, climate resilience, and environmental integrity.' He added, 'Proper land-use planning is a matter of survival in this era of brutal climate change. 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 proposed law would establish a master framework for the allocation, utilization, management, and development of lands and natural resources.
The call comes amid severe flooding in Cebu, described by Governor Pamela Baricuatro as 'the worst flash flood caused by a typhoon' in the province's history. Still recovering from a magnitude 6.9 earthquake in late September, Cebu saw waters rise dramatically in less than 10 minutes during Tino, forcing residents onto roofs for survival. Baricuatro recounted, 'People didn’t have enough time to run, that’s why they all had to do was go to their roofs because it’s their only mode of survival.'
Flash floods also hit Barangay Masarawag in Guinobatan, Albay, due to Super Typhoon Uwan. Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. defined flash floods as a 'rapid rise of water in a river channel or the extreme flow of water over normally dry land.' PAGASA's Marcelino Villafuerte II explained that excessive rains cause water to rush from hills into flood plains. A September study in the Tropical Cyclone Research and Review journal identified Central Luzon as most susceptible to flash floods, with human factors like deforestation and poor planning exacerbating risks.
Undersecretary Carlos Primo David of the DENR noted Cebu's inundation showed how impeding natural waterways leads to massive loss of life. Separately, Senator Erwin Tulfo called for a DSWD probe into alleged discrimination in relief aid distribution to Tino victims in Cebu.