It was Nov. 4, 2025, again, but this time without the devastating aftermath of a typhoon. At least in Cebu.
Still, the memories came rushing back. Three months ago, when typhoon Tino tore through the province, 232 lives were lost and more than 50,000 houses were damaged or destroyed. Those memories, raw and unresolved, prodded residents to act as another storm loomed. In Talisay City; in Bacayan and other barangays in Cebu City; and in the towns of Consolacion, Liloan, Compostela and Danao City, people did not wait to be told what to do. They remembered.
So when typhoon Basyang threatened Cebu last Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, residents of some flood-prone areas were advised to position ladders leading to their roofs a day before landfall. Barangay officials told families to place important documents, food, water and medicine on their roofs in advance. This, apparently, is preparation now. One cannot help but ask: Is this our life every time a storm is coming? Our “new normal?”
For families who had returned to their homes after Tino, many chose to leave early, checking into hotels or staying in rented rooms or even in the mall for the night. Newly bought cars that replaced those declared as total losses after the November flash floods were parked on higher ground, far from rivers and creeks.
Panic buying the night before the typhoon has also become routine. Lines form at automated teller machines as people withdraw emergency cash, at least those who still have something in their accounts. Again, is this how life is now?
The trauma left by typhoon Tino continues to be felt. For many in the affected areas, dark skies, strong winds and rising waters in rivers trigger fear and anxiety. Some break down in tears, not because water has entered their homes, but because it might. Trauma does that. It teaches the body to react before the mind can reason.
Yes, we can prepare. We can learn from experience. We can cope. But coping is not a solution. It is not our flood-control system.
Another lesson from Nov. 4 is that we should not accept this as the “new normal.” We must refuse to normalize fear. We must demand that corrections be made. Only when there is accountability, when justice is done, can we say we have truly learned from the past.
Memory should not be our flood-control system. Ladders on rooftops are not resilience; they are signs that something has yet to be fixed. What should protect communities are systems that work, projects properly implemented and warnings matched by prevention. Upstream development should be strictly regulated and illegal quarrying should be stopped.
So yes, thank you for the memories, for reminding us of what Nov. 4 taught us. And above all, thank you to the One above for keeping Cebu safe this time. But next time, remembering should not be what we rely on to stay safe.