From Typhoon Ondoy to the Unnamed Monsoon (2009–2012): Policy Reforms and Challenges in the Philippine Disaster Management System

In September 2009, the Philippines experienced an unusually excessive amount of rainfall brought about by Typhoon Ondoy (international name Ketsana), which inundated several parts of the country, including Metro Manila, the country’s capital region. The disaster exposed how poor and ineffective the country’s disaster management system is. Nevertheless, the typhoon facilitated a sea of change and became focal point for policy reform as it led to the enactment of two landmark legislations vis-à-vis disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA), which embrace a proactive approach in dealing with disaster as compared with the emergency-oriented and reactive paradigm. Three years after the enactment of the laws, the Philippine capital was submerged again in a flood brought about by an unnamed monsoon (habagat). The disaster put all the reform initiatives to the test. This chapter draws upon the concepts of vulnerability, capacity, and public policy in the face of natural hazards. It looks into the reforms in the Philippine disaster management system brought about in the wake of Typhoon Ondoy. Likewise, it provides an assessment on what worked and what went wrong in the instituted reforms and initiatives by examining the recent massive flooding as a result of the unnamed monsoon.