They say Filipinos floatโ€”through floods, through crises, through grief. Like a paper boat, we stay afloatโ€”not because weโ€™re built for the storm, but because no one ever comes to pull us from the waters.ย 

We are told to smile through storms, to laugh in the face of landslides, to rebuild with bare hands and broken hearts. But at what cost?

We are not lambs meant to carry the burden of every calamity in silence. We are not symbols of hope for headlines and photo ops. We are peopleโ€”taxpayers, voters, and citizensโ€”who deserve protection, planning, and proactive leadership.

In every typhoon, we cling to each other, to faith, to the myth that weโ€™ll be okay. But maybe itโ€™s time we ask: how many more storms must we survive before we are finally savedโ€”not by our spirits, but by systems?

Because no matter how sturdy a bangkang papel may seem, it was never meant to weather the ocean alone.