SOMETIMES nature doesn’t knock — it storms, it quakes, it tears through the fragile masks we’ve built and shows us what’s underneath. In the Philippines, that rare unmasking is taking place right now.
A quick recap
Right after reports emerged of ghost flood-control projects — where billions of pesos supposedly spent on defenses were discovered to be non-existent or non-functional — a 6.9 magnitude earthquake jolted northern Bogo City in Cebu Province in later part of September 2025. It was ferocious and overwhelming. It instilled so much fear within households, snapped infrastructures, and shattered precious lives.
Barely had the dust settled when, in early November, Typhoon Tino (international name Kalmaegi) swept through the country. Torrents of rain, massive flooding, and landslides hit Visayas and Mindanao — striking communities already worn thin.
None of this is coincidence. The timing seems premeditated; it feels as though nature itself is calling us to account.
When Earth shakes and storms arrive
The earthquake crushed more than just the concrete buildings — it revealed the breakability of what we call “advancement and growth.” Then came the storm, and with it, the understanding and the awareness that our safety nets were just impressions, just illusions.
Why does this sequence of events hurt so badly and so deeply? Because a nation barely standing is hit again before it can breathe. Because the very infrastructure meant to protect us was either flawed or fake. Because “ghost projects” show that we weren’t just unprepared — we were deceived.
In Cebu, people woke to a trembling world. Then came the floodwaters. Nature didn’t wait. It didn’t pause for us to recover. And maybe that’s the message — that the world will always respond to how we treat it, how we prepare, and how we lead.
Ghost infrastructure, real consequences
It’s staggering – 421 of about 8,000 flood-control projects reportedly exist only on paper. A Department of Finance study estimated losses between ₱42.3 billion and ₱118.5 billion due to these phantom projects.
When the typhoon hit, those missing walls and drains turned into missing lifelines. Communities that should have been protected were left vulnerable — not by fate, but by failure.
Disaster isn’t random when the groundwork for tragedy is man-made.
When nature fights back
Nature doesn’t hold grudges. But it does remember.
When earthquakes collapse unreinforced homes, when floods rise through fake drainage, when our “preparedness” proves hollow — it’s not just nature acting. It’s nature answering.
The distressing tremors remind us of the slim line between protection and ruin. The tempest reminded us that fraud and dishonesty, negligence and inattention, are as fatal as strong winds and raging water. And the ghost projects remind us of our own treacheries, duplicities, and disloyalties.
This isn’t punishment. It’s a mirror.
A divine reminder
For those of faith, it’s hard not to hear a deeper message. Perhaps, this is God’s technique of making us think that creation demands respect — that stewardship, morality, and humility are not discretionary qualities but survival behaviors.
We’ve erected shrines and tributes of progress, yet we ignore the foundations of justice. We’ve chased convenience, yet ignored compassion. We’ve trusted paper more than people.
Perhaps this is heaven’s whisper in the storm — “Remember who’s really in charge.”
What we must ask ourselves
How many more lives must be lost before we treat infrastructure as sacred — not as showpieces, but as shields? How many more “ghosts” will we tolerate before we rebuild our systems with truth? And when the next quake strikes, when the next storm howls, will we be ready — or will we once again be found wanting?
Final thought
The Philippines stands at a crossroads. Nature has exposed to us the cracks — both in our walls and in our conscience. The question now is not just how we rebuild, but why and for whom.
Resilience isn’t about slogans or billboards. It’s about drains that work, bridges that stand, and leaders who mean what they sign. If nature is sending a message, it’s simple and urgent — Fix it NOW — with honesty, with humility, with heart.
Psalm 11:3 asks, “When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?”
