The floods that struck Valencia City, Bukidnon two nights ago—leaving at least four people dead, seven missing, and hundreds of families displaced—were not a freak act of nature. They were the predictable consequence of negligence, denial, and inaction.
For years, hazard maps—like those once developed under Project NOAH—have clearly shown that Valencia City, Maramag, and Cabangahan sit squarely on flood-prone terrain. These areas lie beside the mighty Pulangi River and on low-lying elevations that practically invite inundation. The science has been there all along, in colored maps, warning us of exactly what unfolded this week. Yet the response from local governments and even line agencies has been to file those maps away, announce temporary relief efforts when tragedy strikes, and then move on until the next storm brings more casualties.
The heartbreaking loss of lives—children as young as two years old, entire families swept away—is proof that we are failing in the most basic duty of governance: to protect people from risks we already know exist. Relief goods, medical missions, and gymnasiums converted into evacuation centers are necessary, yes—but they are band-aid solutions slapped onto deep wounds of neglect.
The floodwaters that surged through Poblacion, Barobo, Lumbo, Bagontaas, Sugod, and even parts of Central Mindanao University are not just the result of heavy rains. They are the result of building homes in relocation sites without proper flood-proofing, of allowing settlements near waterways, of ignoring hazard maps, and of treating disaster preparedness as an afterthought instead of a cornerstone of planning.
Local governments and concerned national agencies must stop treating flash floods as “surprises.” They must rethink, revisit, and act decisively on existing hazard data. Flood control projects must be science-based, relocation programs must be safe and sustainable, and community preparedness must go beyond sandbags and sirens.
How many more times must Bukidnon suffer the same fate as in 2015, now repeating a decade later, before we admit that we are complicit in these deaths by ignoring the warnings? How many more names of children and parents must we read in casualty lists before we realize that relief alone is not enough?
The people of Bukidnon deserve better than a cycle of disaster, condolence, and repair. They deserve foresight, accountability, and leadership willing to confront uncomfortable truths. This flood must be the last wake-up call. If leaders do not act now, history will judge them not as victims of calamity, but as perpetrators of preventable tragedy.