Nearly 50,000 residents were forced to evacuate across Metro Manila as torrential rains from Severe Tropical Storm Crising (international name: Wipha) and the southwest monsoon triggered widespread flooding and landslides.
In Marikina City alone, over 23,000 people were displaced after the river rose to 18 meters and overflowed. “Usually these people are from low-lying areas like beside creeks [feeding into the river],” said Wilmer Tan of the Marikina rescue office, according to a report by Agence France-Presse.
Another 25,000 people were evacuated from Quezon and Caloocan cities. In Caloocan, an elderly woman and her driver were reported missing after their car was swept into a swollen creek.
Their vehicle was recovered, but both remain unaccounted for. “The car window was broken, so the hope is that they were able to escape,” said John Paul Nietes, assistant supervisor at the city’s emergency operations center.
Floodwaters began receding by Tuesday morning, but thousands remain unable to return home. According to the Philippines’ National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, at least three people have died and seven remain missing in central and southern parts of the country.
Environmental group Greenpeace Philippines called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to make climate accountability a central theme in his upcoming State of the Nation Address (SONA).
“On Monday, President Marcos Jr will be delivering his SONA to a nation devastated by extreme rains, floods, and landslides, and to Filipinos who are still finding the strength to fix their homes, care for the sick and tend to their dead,” said Greenpeace climate campaigner Jefferson Chua.
“With another storm expected this week, we are once again experiencing back-to-back destructive weather disturbances,” Chua added. “For countless Filipinos, this means another cycle of devastation, displacement, and having to rebuild from shallow pockets, while barely recovering from the last typhoon.”
Greenpeace called on President Marcos to support the Climate Accountability (CLIMA) Bill and hold major polluting corporations financially responsible for the damage caused by the climate crisis.
The group emphasized that Filipinos continue to bear the brunt of worsening climate impacts while fossil fuel companies generate massive profits without being held accountable.
As flood victims scrambled for relief, Marcos Jr. flew to the United States to meet with President Donald Trump and senior officials, drawing criticism from youth and advocacy groups.
The ecumenical youth group Student Christian Movement of the Philippines (SCMP) denounced the President’s trip, saying it reflects “acts of unpeace” amid a national crisis.
“The meeting between Trump and Marcos Jr. only brews ‘unpeace’ among the situation of Filipino people affected by the typhoon,” said SCMP National Chairperson Kej Andres.
SCMP said the country urgently needs flood-control infrastructure, climate accountability from the United States—the world’s biggest polluter—and substantial government-led relief operations.
The group criticized President Marcos Jr. for his absence during the storm and for prioritizing arms deals and military alliances, which they warned could further destabilize the region.
The Marcos visit also included meetings with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The trip came amid growing military cooperation, including the recent U.S. deployment of Typhon missiles in Laoag City and congressional support for an ammunition manufacturing facility in Subic.
“The Filipino people feel ‘unpeace’ and ‘unease’ with every move Marcos Jr. makes,” said Andres. “Rain or shine, tens of thousands will flood along Commonwealth Avenue in the People’s SONA this coming July 28 to condemn the miserable state of the nation Marcos Jr. puts Filipinos into.”
The climate justice demands are expected to intensify ahead of the release of the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion on the obligations of states in addressing climate change.
In its official submission, the Philippine government said, “The Philippines is committed to shaping a global framework that ensures justice for those most affected by the climate crisis and secures a sustainable future for all.”
