Journal of Environmental Science and Management 16(1) : 84-97 (June 2013)

ISSN 0119-1144

* 2

Climate change, involving both natural climate variability and anthropogenic global warming, has been a major
worldwide concern, particularly with the publication of the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) of the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change. Considering the archipelagic nature of the Philippines and its being a very minor emitter
of greenhouse gases, adaptation to climate change has been the Governments national policy. The importance of
expediting these climate change-related adaptation measures was highlighted by a string of geo-meteorological-

2009. We present the geologic conditions that rendered the affected areas, especially in northwestern Luzon, extremely
vulnerable to the existent hazards, the meteorological conditions that set off the disaster and the different initiatives that
the government and local communities have taken to further prepare the people for possible future disasters. Recognition
of the pertinent issues and the extant challenges points to the urgent need for mainstreaming both geo-meteorological-
related disaster risk management and climate change adaptation measures in the light of changing climate conditions.

climate change adaptation, disaster risk management, geo-meteorological hazards, tropical cyclone,
Luzon, Philippines

Asian Development Bank (ADB) 2009 Lagmay et al. 2006

Yumul et al. 2006

Benson, 2009; Dawe et al. 2009; Lyon et al.

2006; Yumul et al., 2009

Faustino-Eslava et al. 2011

Journal of Environmental Science and Management Volume 16 No. 1 (June 2013)

Figure 1. Tectonic map of the Philippines that shows the

between the Palawan Microcontinental Block

Manila-Negros-Sulu-Cotabato Trench system at

the west and the East Luzon Trough-Philippine
Trench at the west.

Aurelio 2000; Besana and Ando2005

ntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2007;

Mann and Emmanuel 2006; United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 2008; Webster et
al. 2005
 Geohazards, Tropical Cyclones and DRRM in the Philippines

Figure 2. a. Map showing the distribution of active volcanoes in the Philippines

(shown by the white circles). Nine of these (shown by the black dots)
are the most active with several eruptions in recorded history (Phivolcs
2008). b. Map of the major fault networks in Luzon (after Queao 2006).

Yumul
1994
Maleterre 1989; Wolfe 1981

Arribas et al. 1994; Sillitoe and Angeles 1985; Wolfe

1981 Balce et al. 1980

Imai 2001

Balce et al. 1980; United

Nations Development Program (UNDP) 1987; Maleterre
1989; Pea 1992
Pinet 1990

Bellon and

Pea and Reyes 1970;

Tam et al. 2005; Yumul et al. 2008; Dimalanta et al. 2012

Balce et al. 1980

Journal of Environmental Science and Management Volume 16 No. 1 (June 2013)

Figure 3. a. Elevation map of Luzon island. In Central Cordillera, peaks reach heights of up to ~3000 m. b. On the slope
o
(blue slope <10o, green
slope between 10 and 30o, red slope >10o). c. Blown up view of boxed area in Figures 3a and 3b. Pangasinan

had numerous landslide occurrences due to the passage of Typhoon Parma. Gray-shaded areas are those that

Figure 4. Comparative stratigraphic columns for Ilocos, Central Cordillera and Luzon Central Valley (west side)
 Geohazards, Tropical Cyclones and DRRM in the Philippines

Dimalanta et al.,
2012

NDCC 2009c
NDCC
Aurelio et al. 1991; Barrier et 2009d
al. 1991

Pinet and Stephan 1990; Ringenbach et

al. 1993; Louvenbruck 2003

Yumul et
al. 2008
Journal of Environmental Science and Management Volume 16 No. 1 (June 2013)

Figure 5 a. Track followed by Typhoon Parma whose erratic behavior caused it to landfall three times. It left
the country after staying within the PAR for 10 days. b. MTSAT image received at the DOST-PAGASA
station on October 10, 2009. It shows Typhoon Parma interacting with Melor. This interaction caused
Parma to return and make its second landfall.

Figure 6 a. Typhoon Parma brought an unusual amount of precipitation as indicated by measurements done
in the PAGASA stations (each marked by a black star) in Luzon island. b. Rainfall data from the
PAGASA stations are compared with the monthly climatological normals. From October 3 to 9, 2009,
Baguio City recorded the highest amount of rainfall.

METHODOLOGY
 Geohazards, Tropical Cyclones and DRRM in the Philippines
NDCC 2009c

NDCC 2009c

NDCC
2009d

NDCC 2009c

ABS-CBN 2009

Figure 7. Sites impacted by the passage of Typhoon Parma

during the period 3 to 9 October 2009 as reported

Network along with calls and text messages of

inhabitants of the radio-television network (ABS-
CBN 2009). Also plotted is the track of the typhoon
and the cumulative rainfall estimated by PAGASA.
Journal of Environmental Science and Management Volume 16 No. 1 (June 2013)
 Geohazards, Tropical Cyclones and DRRM in the Philippines

house was dislodged, as were other structures of similar relatively sturdy construction. b. Several houses built
close to the earthen dike of the Banila River in Umingan, Pangasina, were totally washed away in the evening
of October 8, 2009. c. A retaining wall along a relatively constricted stream channel in the mountainous town

The black arrow points to what remains of this retaining wall and the white arrow show the undercutting of its
foundations. In the foreground, a bamboo bridge was constructed to temporarily replace a hanging bridge that

the structural intervention. Photo was taken along a major thoroughfare in Baguio City. The white dashed line
traces the original height of the collapsed retaining wall. e. A view of the landslide that originated from Puguis and
travelled to the lower lying community of Little Kibungan in Benguet Province. The houses provide a scale to the
magnitude of this catastrophic landslide. More than 10 large, concrete houses were totally damaged and carried
downhill by this mass movement and over 150 casualties were reported.
Journal of Environmental Science and Management Volume 16 No. 1 (June 2013)

Holland and Webster,

2007; Dairaku et al. 2008; Knutson et al. 2010

Knutson et al., 2010

Emanuel
2005; Bengtsson et al. 2007; Knutson et al. 2010

Guzetti et al. 2008; Larsen 2008; Lee et al. 2008

Kirschbaum et al. 2010

 Geohazards, Tropical Cyclones and DRRM in the Philippines

UNISDR 2008; Birkmann, et al.

2009; Christoplos et al. 2009

Lazcano 2009

PAGASA 2011
Journal of Environmental Science and Management Volume 16 No. 1 (June 2013)
Geohazards, Tropical Cyclones and DRRM in the Philippines
Journal of Environmental Science and Management Volume 16 No. 1 (June 2013)