The Ferdinand Marcos Jr government should listen to the Filipino workers and people. The devastation caused by strong typhoons hitting the country is not deflecting public attention away from government corruption. Instead, the deaths and destruction left by typhoons are further fueling public anger against corruption.

This is the Center for Trade Union and Human Rights’ (CTUHR) warning to the Marcos Jr government in the wake of Typhoon Tino (international name: Kalmaegi) which devastated Cebu province, the Visayas and northeastern Mindanao, and the threat posed by potential Super Typhoon Uwan (international name: Fung-Wong) to a huge part of the country, from Batanes in the North to Bohol in the Visayas.

Latest government reports say that Tino left 188 people dead, 135 missing and 96 injured, and affected more than 2.3 million people, around 400,000 of whom are still in evacuation centers. Uwan, on the other hand, has a huge diameter, has prompted the government to order evacuations in low-lying areas, and has raised the possibility of storm surges and coastal flooding.

On social media, Filipinos called for and gave donations to those affected by Tino, like in previous typhoons. At the same time, widespread anger over the damage caused by Tino is palpable. Many workers and Filipinos are condemning mining and quarrying operations and the destruction of the environment, as well as the failure to promptly and accurately predict the typhoon’s strength and evacuate those affected.

We know from the country’s experience that mining and quarrying operations and other projects that destroy the environment often go hand-in-hand with corruption. Government officials are bribed with huge amounts to grant permits to big corporations’ destructive projects and turn a blind eye to the harm and damage that these projects are causing.

Tino generated deadly floods in Cebu because of the high amount of rain that it dumped on the province in such a short time, overwhelming rivers and drainage systems. Climate change is real and will continue to cause stronger typhoons and floods to hit the country. It should compel the government to allocate greater and greater resources to disaster preparedness and other adaptive measures in response to climate change.

The destruction caused by the typhoons are making it even clearer to the Filipino workers and people that the existing accountability mechanisms for government contractors and politicians involved in corruption scandals are not enough. It is perfectly reasonable to expect that protests against corruption will continue and even become bigger as a result of the strong typhoons that the country is experiencing.