LAST week, Typhoon Tino swept through parts of the Visayas, flooding several areas in Cebu and leaving homes and roads submerged. Before the country could recover, Super Typhoon Uwan struck Northern and Southern Luzon, bringing heavy rains and strong winds that toppled trees, destroyed houses, and caused widespread flooding across Cagayan, Isabela, and parts of the Bicol Region.
Each typhoon brings with it a familiar scene — residents fleeing rising waters, clutching children and belongings — while pets and livestock are left tethered or trapped behind. It is a heartbreaking reality that highlights not a lack of love, but a gap in readiness. In the urgency to save lives, animals often become the unseen casualties of calamity. According to local reports, hundreds of livestock and poultry were lost in Tino, while pets such as dogs and cats were abandoned or stranded in floodwaters.
In recent public commentary about disaster readiness, one local leader stressed that human lives are irreplaceable, whereas animals, not so much. The remark reignited the debate on how we prioritise life during disasters.
Animal welfare groups and community advocates quickly responded, reminding the public that pets and livestock are more than replaceable property, a message echoed by fur parents online.
Meanwhile, 52-year-old Edgar Lagasca, who has five dogs and two cats, some of which he adopted from the streets, shared his perspective:
“Masakit tingnan kapag iniwan ang mga hayop. Para sa akin, pamilya rin sila at may buhay rin.”
While it is clear that human life must always come first, this perspective reinforces the urgent need for planning that protects both humans and animals. Pets and livestock are companions, sources of livelihood, and integral members of many households. Disaster planning must find ways to safeguard them alongside people.
The challenge, therefore, lies not in choosing between human and animal life, but in building a system that protects both. Evacuation procedures that take animals into account, such as permitting pets in approved shelters and assisting with livestock rescue and transfer, need to be strengthened by government agencies, local authorities, and humanitarian organizations. Other nations have long integrated such measures into their disaster preparedness programs, proving that compassion and practicality can coexist.
No matter how small, every act of kindness strengthens who we are as a people. And perhaps, as the winds calm and the waters recede, what will truly define us is not just how we survived the storm, but how we ensured that no life — human or otherwise — was left behind.
