Above: School has dismissed in Calumpit, Philippines, but the journey home for these schoolgirls is not on a bus or even on foot, but on a homemade raft they guide down a flooded street. Flooding caused by Typhoon Carina in July has been slow to recede, forcing many residents to wade or use boats to reach their homes. Local leaders say rising sea levels, driven by climate change, and the development of a new airport in Manila Bay has worsened flooding.

Oct. 14, 2024 | CALUMPIT, Philippines (UM News)

This year will almost certainly be the hottest year on record, surpassing the previous highs from 2023. Global warming impacts livelihoods, economies, habitats and, at a micro level, a neighborhood in the Philippines where flooded streets force schoolgirls into makeshift after-school rafts, and fishermen struggle to maintain their way of life.

“We knew extreme weather would become more frequent and intense and we’re seeing the impacts now more than ever,” said the Rev. Jenny Phillips, director of environmental sustainability for the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries. “We know it is going to get worse. We know the most vulnerable among us will suffer the most. And we know without a doubt that God is calling the church to get to work.”

Sea level has risen globally by about 8 inches since 1900 and the Earth’s temperature has risen by an average of 0.11° Fahrenheit per decade since 1850, or about 2° F in total, according to the United Nations.

United Methodist News is documenting the denomination’s response to climate change through a series of dispatches from sites most impacted by global warming — such as the Philippines, where typhoons are a regular occurrence.

United Methodists acknowledge the connections between human activities and the environment, stating in their Revised Social Principles, “we confess that the degradation and wholesale destruction of the natural environment threatens unprecedented harm, bringing danger to human and nonhuman life alike.”

But at the same time, the church is at work teaching sustainable practices, feeding those impacted by climate-change-induced storms, and helping to rebuild lives, says Bishop Ruby-Nell Estrella of the Manila Episcopal Area. “God entrusted the whole of creation to humankind, but it has suffered because of greed and abuse,” Estrella said, noting the toll environmental degradation and exploitation have taken on her local ecosystem.

Children change from their school uniforms at the end of the school day to make the journey home on a homemade raft in a flooded section of Calumpit, Philippines.
Emma Asores (left) and Romuel “Dojoe” Flores walk among idled fishing boats in the Mozon II neighborhood in Rosario, Philippines. Typhoon Carina caused three oil tankers to sink in July, prompting the government to ban fishing in villages around Manila Bay. The Manila Episcopal Area Disaster Management Office is conducting relief operations in the affected communities. Asores heads the women’s organization in Mozon II, and Flores is a consultant with the United Methodist Committee on Relief’s (UMCOR) International Disaster Response unit.
Idled fishing boats line the beach in the Mozon II neighborhood in Rosario, Philippines, after Typhoon Carina caused three oil tankers to sink in Manila Bay, contaminating the fishing grounds that provide the area’s livelihood.
A fisherman searches the shallow waters for small fish just off the beach in the Mozon II neighborhood in Rosario, Philippines. The customary fishing grounds in deeper water were closed by the government due to oil spills during Typhoon Carina.
Bishop Ruby-Nell Estrella blesses bags of rice during a relief distribution at the United Methodist church in Rosario, Philippines, for fishermen whose livelihoods were disrupted by Typhoon Carina. "We are here not just to give rice but to stand in solidarity with you," she said, citing Apostle Paul’s message about humanity’s role as caretakers of creation.
An aid recipient carries a bag of rice from Rosario United Methodist Church in Cavite Province in the Philippines. The Disaster Management Office of the Manila Episcopal Area, in collaboration with the United Methodist Committee on Relief, provided the aid for families affected by Typhoon Carina.
Aid recipients listen during a relief distribution at Rosario United Methodist Church.
Residents carry bags of rice from Rosario United Methodist Church during an aid distribution for families affected by Typhoon Carina.
A fisherman uses a net to catch small fish just off the beach in the Mozon II neighborhood in Rosario, Philippines. The usual fishing grounds in deeper water were closed by the government due to oil spills caused by Typhoon Carina.
Romuel “Dojoe” Flores (left) of UMCOR and Roselle Lontoc, youth volunteer with Serve the People Corps in Cavite province in the Philippines, visit the Mozon II neighborhood in Rosario, where a government ban on fishing due to oil contamination following Typhoon Carina has caused economic hardships in the small fishing community.
Romuel “Dojoe” Flores (rear) of UMCOR tours the Mozon II neighborhood in Rosario with community and faith leaders. UMCOR is conducting relief operations in the small fishing village where livelihoods were disrupted by Typhoon Carina.
Solar panels help provide electricity at the United Methodist headquarters building in Manila, Philippines, as a way to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
The Rev. Ishmael James Bolado rides his motorbike along the flooded road in front of Meysulao United Methodist Church in Calumpit, Philippines. Bolado and church members are continuing to support families forced from their homes some three months after Typhoon Carina struck the area. Because of the flooding, “most of the people can’t work,” he said. “No work, no pay.”
The Rev. Ishmael James Bolado steps out of the gate in front of Meysulao United Methodist Church in Calumpit, Philippines, into standing water left by Typhoon Carina.
A home surrounded by floodwaters sits abandoned in Calumpit, Philippines. Persistent flooding remains some three months after Typhoon Carina struck the area.
Lucia Alfonso (left) and her daughter-in-law, Alona Alfonso, have lived in a temporary shelter in a Calumpit municipal building for three months since Typhoon Carina flooded their home. “Our house in Nabong Village is underwater despite its elevated structure," Alona Alfonso said.
Lucia Alfonso sits on the porch of a municipal building in Calumpit, where she has lived for the past three months, after flooding from Typhoon Carina flooded her home.
Hazel Ramos (left) and Josephine Cedillo walk through floodwaters on a residential street in Calumpit, Philippines. “After 40 years here, a relocation plan seems necessary,” Ramos said. She is lay leader of nearby Meysulao United Methodist Church and Cedillo is the Manila Area disaster management coordinator for The United Methodist Church.
Residents in low-lying areas of Calumpit, Philippines, use boats to reach their homes after streets were flooded by Typhoon Carina in July. Locals say that rising sea levels and the construction of a new airport on landfill in Manila Bay have worsened flooding in recent years.
Roland M. Ramos explains how Macedonia United Methodist Church in Calumpit, Philippines, is used as an evacuation center during storms. Behind him on the wall are the indoor components of a solar panel installation on the roof. Ramos, captain of the local barangay (neighborhood), is a member of the church.
Community members gather at Tanza (Philippines) United Methodist Church for a distribution of relief aid provided by the disaster management office of the Manila Episcopal Area, in collaboration with the United Methodist Committee on Relief for families affected by Typhoon Carina.
Aid recipients listen during a relief distribution at Tanza (Philippines) United Methodist Church.
Bishop Ruby-Nell Estrella oversees the distribution of relief aid for fishermen and community members whose livelihoods were disrupted by Typhoon Carina at the United Methodist church in Tanza, Philippines.
Aid recipients carry bags of rice from Tanza United Methodist Church in Cavite Province in the Philippines. The Disaster Management Office of the Manila Episcopal Area, in collaboration with the United Methodist Committee on Relief, provided the aid for families affected by Typhoon Carina.
Romuel “Dojoe” Flores (left) talks with Bong Laderas while en route to Pamarawan, Philippines, to visit with fishermen and community members whose lives have been affected by rising sea levels and environmental impacts caused by construction of a new airport in Manila Bay. Flores is a consultant with the United Methodist Committee on Relief and Laderas is coordinator of AKAP KA, Manila Bay, a community organization dedicated to protecting the people and environment along the coastline of the bay.
Pamarawan, an island fishing community in Malolos, Philippines, known for its fish, crabs and shrimp, has been greatly affected by the impact of building the New Bulacan International Airport in Manila Bay, fishermen and environmentalists say.
Romuel “Dojoe” Flores (front) and Bong Laderas wade through a flooded alleyway in Pamarawan, Philippines. Construction of a new international airport on some 6,000 acres of former mangroves and wetlands and rising sea levels have led to persistent flooding, residents say. Flores is a consultant with the United Methodist Committee on Relief, and Laderas is coordinator of AKAP KA, Manila Bay, a community organization dedicated to protecting the people and environment along the coastline of the bay.
Flooding during high tide has become an everyday occurrence in Pamarawan, where ailments like athlete’s foot are common.
Fishing boats and water taxis line the harbor in Pamarawan.
Note: click on any of the small photos to see a larger version. Fish dry in the sun in Pamarawan.
Residents wade through standing water at high tide in Pamarawan.
A statue of Our Lady, Star of the Sea rests atop the Roman Catholic Stella Maris Mission Parish in Pamarawan.
Boys wade through standing water in Pamarawan.
Rene Martinez, 61, points out rising water levels in Taliptip, Philippines, to Dojoe Flores of UMCOR. Martinez says they have raised the elevation in his neighborhood with fill seven times during his lifetime, but flooding persists as sea levels rise.
The Rev. Bily Mundo, pastor of Pamarawan United Methodist Church in the Philippines, describes the challenges of rising water levels for people in his community.
Fisherman Felipe Abdon, 67, says dredging operations for construction of the new Bulacan International Airport has affected fishing in the waters near his home in Pamarawan, Philippines. “The seas that once yielded 3,000 PHP [Philippine pesos] a day now provide barely enough,” he said. “During the pandemic, we never went hungry; my children even graduated high school.”
The Rev. Joseph Estadilla (front) and community leaders and representatives of UMCOR, survey high water levels in Manila Bay near Pamarawan, a fishing village near Malolos, Philippines. Estadilla has been coordinating relief efforts in communities affected by Typhoon Carina in July. “In my area, churches and ... port communities were under water. All of these were on the coastal area of Manila Bay. High tide and the typhoon joined together. The flooding was grave, unlike I’ve seen in other years," Estadilla said. He is wearing a shawl over his head for protection from the sun.
The new Bulacan International Airport is being built on some 6,000 acres of landfill reclaimed from Manila Bay, which has prohibited fishermen from their customary fishing grounds and led to flooding, fishermen say.
The Rev. Bily Mundo (right), pastor of Pamarawan (Philippines) United Methodist Church, and church member Arnold Flores examine the condition of mangrove trees near the construction site for the new Bulacan International Airport, which is being built on landfill in Manila Bay. “We must raise the church grounds every year due to rising waters. Mangroves, which once protected us, are being cut down,” Flores said.
Construction of the new Bulacan International Airport has displaced hundreds of people from the land near Taliptip, Philippines.
An abandoned building near Taliptip, Philippines, is surrounded by water during high tide. Rising sea levels and compaction of the soil in areas of Manila Bay contribute to the flooding.
Joselito A. Tambalo displays samples of organic fertilizer made from composted materials at the demonstration farm of the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM) located at the International Institute for Rural Reconstruction in Dasmariñas, Philippines. PRRM partners with UMCOR to help promote environmentally friendly and sustainable farming practices.
Josephine Cedillo (center) views the progress of rebuilding in an informal settlement in the Tondo neighborhood of Manila with Maria Hulipaz after a massive fire tore through the area in July, displacing about 1,000 families. Many there suffer from higher temperatures, rising water levels and exposure to water- and vector-borne illness driven, in part, by climate change. Cedillo is coordinator of the United Methodist Manila Episcopal Area Disaster Management Office, and Hulipaz is president of a local community activist group.
Many in the densely packed Tondo neighborhood near the port of Manila are engaged in waste picking and recycling shipping materials.
Marie Cotino describes efforts to rebuild her neighborhood in Tondo, Philippines, after fire tore through the informal settlement, displacing about 1,000 families.
Maria Hulipaz describes rebuilding efforts in a densely packed informal settlement in the Tondo neighborhood of Manila following a fire there in July. She is president of SMTH, a local community activist group.
Residents in low-lying areas of Calumpit, Philippines, use boats to reach their homes after streets were flooded by Typhoon Carina in July. Locals say that rising sea levels and the construction of a new airport on landfill in Manila Bay have worsened flooding in recent years.
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