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Located along the typhoon belt of the Pacific Ocean, and residing at a coastal archipelago, it's common knowledge at this point that harsh weather and floods in the Philippines are inevitable, a reality backed by both geography and climate data. Yet another factor continues to cement itself as a core reason: inadequacy. It is the inadequacy of those tasked with mitigating the very disasters they swore to prevent. And now, the rising narrative that these tragedies are simply “the new normal” we must accept is a farce — a blatant attempt to normalize government failure, wrapped in passive language and stripped of accountability. A mindset that must be scrutinized. Based on recent reports, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., or PBBM for short, pointed at the current weather conditions and said, "This is the new normal." He further added that this is just how life currently works now, and we should just accept it. Along those lines alone, anyone can see the issue. Of course, these statements, once made public, garnered raised eyebrows and public disapproval in ways which I couldn’t agree more. Going through three cyclones already — Typhoons Crising, Dante, and now Emong, alongside the Southwest Monsoon or Habagat, are set to continue its havoc. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), 40 cities and municipalities have already declared a state of calamity as of Thursday, with a death toll amounting to 12 and fears of further escalation. ₱3.77 billion in infrastructure damage and ₱366.38 million in agricultural losses have already been recorded. Here we have the men at the top further submerging this already sunken ship to its knees just by words alone. Last December 2024, from a GMA News report, PBBM cut ₱16.7 billion from the questionable 2025 budget, removing slots that were meant for a set of flood mitigation programs, stating that these were "not consistent." Additionally, Sen. Joel Villanueva questioned where the daily P1.4 Billion meant for flood control. The numbers themselves would make you question not what you can do for your country, but what its government can truly do for you in times of tragedy. The memories of Typhoons Ondoy and Yolanda still haunt our minds — the extent of damage, now propagated as a product of mere normalcy, are capable of. Even as recently as 2024, billions of pesos worth of damages, nearly a hundred fatalities, amounted from the 18 tropical cyclones that struck. The nation now faces the same predicament again, and it's mostly from the cycle brought upon by the true new normal of inadequate governance. Indeed, the reality strikes true that the rampant rain, the harsh floods, and the destruction caused are not new to the nation, and it is right that adaptation can be a necessary factor to implore in times like these, as the President recently said. Yet, it cannot be a justification to say that all these are just like a normal Tuesday for the country. It's time to break the 'Suffer, Survive, Repeat' cycle our country is perpetually on. Instead of letting the sense of normalcy sink in, a full-on Top-Down Approach is a must, where the higher government acts efficiently first in response to calamities. Intensive collaboration of the various agencies — like the NDRRMC and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) working hand-to-hand with the Local Government Units for alerts and disaster mitigation; institutions such as the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), the Department of Health (DOH), working side-by-side for flood-borne illnesses. We have already seen the citizens' and local governments' cooperation first-hand which is a necessary application of the Bottom-Down approach. Now it's time for unrelenting action by those at the higher branches to take a much harder stance. If it truly strives for good governance and the solutions amidst the floods and conditions it promised, step up and prove the criticisms wrong once and for all. This cannot be just another story of how the Filipino people survive another tragedy left and right. The nation needs to move past the cycle it’s gotten itself stuck in due to government inadequacy and the inability of those at the top. Set aside the ill-transparency, bantering, and ego trips — and provide the necessary path that we will all help one another and walk together for us to escape the true new normal.