A search and retrieval operation is underway in Cebu City, a stark reminder of the ongoing climate crisis as the Philippines marks the 12th anniversary of Super Typhoon Yolanda. The operation was launched on Monday, November 10, 2025, under the Barangay Bacayan Bridge beside the Butuanon River after residents reported a foul odor in the area.
Search for the Missing
The retrieval effort is linked to two individuals who remain missing after Typhoon Tino (internationally named Kalmaegi) struck Sitio Lower Common in Barangay Bacayan on November 4, 2025. The grim discovery of the foul smell has intensified the search, highlighting the human cost of the recent typhoon's onslaught.
A Painful Anniversary and a Call for Action
This week's disaster coincides with the 12-year commemoration of Super Typhoon Yolanda's first landfall on November 8, 2013. Greenpeace Philippines campaigner Virginia Llorin stated that Typhoon Tino serves as a painful reminder that millions of Filipinos are trapped in cycles of disaster and recovery. She identified the root cause as greed and impunity from fossil fuel corporations that have fueled the climate crisis for profit.
Urgent Demands for the Government
Greenpeace is urgently calling on the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to take decisive action. The demands are twofold. Internationally, the government must pressure rich nations at COP30 to fill the Loss and Damage Fund with grant-based finance and seek contributions from major polluting companies. Nationally, the administration must prioritize the Clima Bill to make polluters pay, stop new fossil fuel expansion, and guarantee transparency in climate funds. The message is clear: after more than a decade, it is time to end profiteering and defend the lives of Filipinos.
