Philippine communities battle triple threat of sinking land, rising seas and flood control corruption

Coastal communities across the Philippines are confronting a devastating combination of environmental and governance challenges that are fundamentally reshaping how people live and work in these vulnerable areas. From earthquake-induced land subsidence to excessive groundwater pumping, multiple factors are leaving entire villages permanently underwater while corruption scandals undermine critical flood protection efforts.

In Tubigon town in the central Philippines, entire island villages face complete submersion due to land subsidence triggered by a major 2013 earthquake. Meanwhile, Hagonoy town north of Manila struggles with persistent flooding caused by land sinking from over-extraction of groundwater. These local disasters reflect a global crisis affecting the 40% of humanity living in coastal areas, with more than 850 million people residing in low-elevation coastal zones less than 33 feet above sea level.

The situation has become even more dire due to recent corruption revelations involving publicly-funded flood control infrastructure projects. Since July, evidence of widespread graft in these critical protection systems has sparked public outrage and anti-corruption protests involving thousands of demonstrators. Between 2000 and 2019, an estimated 1.6 billion people worldwide were affected by various types of flooding, according to UN disaster risk reduction data.

As sea levels continue rising while land simultaneously sinks, Philippine coastal communities exemplify the complex adaptation challenges facing vulnerable populations globally. The convergence of climate change impacts, poor resource management, and governance failures creates a particularly challenging environment for community resilience and effective disaster response.