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Resiliency can be a disease when you are forced to do it. Filipinos have been known to smile despite experiencing the deepest floods, but drowning in false promises and poor planning is not savable by a life raft. This forced bravery due to the continuous drought of support that the country receives from the government should not be glorified, especially when the real problem has been long identified. Adapting may seem like a natural Filipino trait, but when you are left with water reaching your neck, you do not have much of a choice. Romanticizing these struggles allows the people in power to once again escape accountability by disguising problems as acts of heroism. The people deserve more than to be called resilient. Disaster plans are no new topic for government officials, it is one of the most crucial things to plan about when entering the office. President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. had vowed to step up the Philippines’ disaster preparedness, even initiating a program called “Buong Bansa Handa” along with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary, Rex Gatchalian, a year-round disaster preparedness framework which was launched back in 2023. In July 2024, President Marcos boasted about accomplishing 5,000 flood control projects, with 656 being in Metro Manila under his administration. Trillions of pesos were said to have been spent on addressing the flooding problems of the country. But sadly, no amount of planning will ever be useful if the implementation of these plans continues to sink underwater. As typhoons continue to pass our country every year, causing endless amounts of destruction, you would think that the perfect risk mitigation plan was long implemented in the country. But, photos of Filipinos walking through floods with praises for their bravery filling the captions emerge from the waters during the recent Bagyong Crising and Habagat. All while the people question what had happened to the disaster plans that were said to have been prepared months or even years ago. Environment geographer Timothy Cipriani from the Advocates of Science and Technology for the People (AGHAM) and the Philippine Normal University once said that “No amount of engineering can completely control floods.” He added that “We might be able to control street-level flooding, but we have neglected the overflow from rivers and coastal areas.” Floods are not avoidable, especially in times of heavy rainfall. But, the implemented responses during the floods are not any better. With people having to settle for evacuation sites in the form of basketball courts, city halls, malls, and even churches. These facilities were not designed to support evacuated families, but they have to adapt to a new purpose, similar to how Filipinos continuously have to adapt to the same old system of fighting for their lives. Pitying the people does not always make the situation seem less pitiful, especially if you are a government official whose job is to make the situation less painful. Jokes and fights have their own separate rafts, but somehow they decided to jump in the flood, addressing the state of the country with a joke, while innocent lives continue to fight for their life. The people in power have been called out for decades of floating on their yachts while their countrymen continue to sink, all while having the time to call them “brave” for facing the storm. From insensitive jokes from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary, Jonvic Remulla, to the boxing match of Philippine National Police Chief, General Nicolas Torre III and acting David City Mayor, Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, even all the way to the controversial “E-Ayuda” of Calumpit Mayor, Lem Faustino. It is ironic how public servants are out of touch on what the public truly experiences, instead they create more problems for people who are already sinking in them. While Filipinos showcase “Bayanihan,” aiding the needs of one another, those in power treat the situation as if those whose houses are filled with water are just enjoying an indoor pool. Sacrificing safety for a glass of clout. Filipinos need change, not another speech about change. The country needs genuine change that could change lives, change that could act like a safety net that would catch them in the event of a natural disaster. They do not need another politician rowing in a safety raft telling them about their bravery, they need a politician who understands what it feels to have water reaching your neck while you try to evacuate your whole family. Sympathy is not a life jacket that could rescue the people from drowning in false promises disguised in flood waters, especially if you continue to float on your political throne.