go through Aubrey Rose A. Inosante, reporter
Philippines retains its title As the most disaster in the world Country 21Yingshi One year in a row, with Typhoons and floods hit Community, and billions of dollarsSO aims to protect them from disappearing in the transplant scandal.
Southeast Asian countries have a risk score of 46.56 in Worldriskindex in 2025, which has not changed compared to last year, but are still leading the way in 192 other countries. India ranked second, followed by Indonesia, Colombia and Mexico, according to a study released by Germany’s Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft and Ruhr University Bochum on Wednesday.
The index weights are exposed to disasters such as hurricanes, floods and earthquakes as well as poverty indicators such as poverty, inequality and health systems. Scores are 100 signals with extreme risks.
The report said the Philippines faces widespread harm, but river and coastal flooding remain the most important threat.
The ranking highlights how climate change continues to hit the archipelago, with about 20 tropical storms a year. The latest assessment is braces in tropical storm opong a few days after super typhoon Nando (internationally known as Ragasa) was cultivated through Luzon.
Meanwhile, government flood control plans are collapsing under the weight of corruption scandals. A comprehensive investigation this year exposed widespread abuse of funds, forcing the project to withdraw pesos ($4.4 billion) from the proposed 2026 national budget. Flood control allocation cut to zero.
“One obvious problem is that necessary infrastructure such as flood control projects are not established,” Maria Ela L. atienza, a political science professor at the University of the Philippines, said in Viber’s message. She added that there seems to be more focus on relief than disaster prevention.
China, Mexico and Japan lead the way in disaster exposure, but the Philippines ranks fourth in the world with a score of 39.99. The country also ranked “very high” in vulnerability (54.2) and responsiveness (58.54), highlighting weak infrastructure and a tense social system.
The flooded provinces include Cagayan, Agusan del Norte, Pangasinan, Pampanga, Maguindanao and Manila, and each person has more than 82%. In contrast, the Marinduque, Laguna, Batanes, Sarangani and Dinagat archipelagos have lower flood exposure.
The risk of flooding in Metro Manila worsens due to “soil seals”, in which case rapid urbanization covers natural surfaces with concrete, thus preventing water absorption.
The capital is located on a low-lying river plain where the Pasig River intersects with dense networks of canals. Meanwhile, Laguna benefits from hilly terrain and the buffering capacity of Laguna de Bay, absorbing excess water.
Government failure
The highest ranking in the PhilippinesTactile governance failures more Analysts say, better than geography.
“Risks soared as public spending on risk management through flood control and climate change is not up to standard,” said John Paolo R. Rivera, a senior researcher at the Philippine Development Institute, in a Viber message. “Politicians and theirs Cahoots decided to be greedy. ”
Despite legal and international financing related to disasters, expenditures tend to be urgent relief. Manila regularly deploys military and civilian assets to respond to typhoons, but lacks in long-term prevention, such as drainage systems, basins reserved and afforestation.
Ms. Atienza said development plans at the local and national levels should be balanced with effective disaster risk management.
“Large infrastructure such as airports and highways, as well as commercial institutions and housing projects should not damage the environment, pose danger to people or make the area more vulnerable to disasters,” she added.
The report said disaster risks are increasingly affected by social inequality and institutional weakness, even in advanced economies. In Africa, nearly 80% of the continents are classified as high-risk or very high-risk, while Asia and the Americas remain hot spots.
China’s risk score is 30.62, ranking eighth in total, while the United States did not enter the top ten. Globally, the gap between disaster exposure and responsiveness widens as governments work to raise funds for prevention.
The Philippines’ risk score, while slightly lower than last year, remains stubbornly high despite decades of donor support disaster management programs. Manila passed several disaster laws, created a national parliament and used international climate financing, but implemented it lagged behind.
Costs are rising. Super Typhoon Nando caused billions of pesos to damage agriculture and infrastructure this month, and fiscal pressure has exacerbated as the government pushes higher social spending and debts to exceed 60% of GDP.
Analysts say the Philippines could cause more economic and human losses as flood control funds are scrapped in the 2026 budget.
According to the 2025 report, “the current challenges in flood risk management require a fundamental rethinking of disaster preparation”, noting that extreme weather events are not only increasing in frequency, but are increasingly outweighing the capabilities of existing protection systems.
It added: “At the same time, practical examples from various regions around the world show that successful coping strategies are based on the interactions of several factors: technological innovation, local action capability and ecological resilience.”
