FROM THE MARGINS
The recent news that the Philippines once again topped the World Risk Index as the world’s most disaster-prone country comes as no surprise to those of us working closely with vulnerable communities. Yet even familiarity does not dull the shock of seeing it confirmed: disaster risk is not abstract, but a daily reality for millions of Filipinos already struggling with poverty and exclusion.
As a decades-long advocate of poverty eradication, I see in that ranking not just a statistic but a warning. It exposes how structural neglect and resource gaps combine with extreme climate events — turning storms into catastrophes for the poor. It underscores the need to shift from reactive relief (ayuda) to anticipatory, inclusive systems built from the ground up.
Landscape of risk
Apart from an average of 20 typhoons that visit the country each year, Filipinos face floods, volcanic eruptions, landslides,
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