Typhoon Kristine Routs Philippines in Landslide Win
(Manila, Philippines) – Despite hopeful expectations from Filipino spectators that the Philippines would come out of this match with a vital draw, Kristine’s offensive combination of gale-force winds and torrential rain proved too devastating for the home team, resulting in a landslide win for the visiting severe tropical cyclone.
With this result, the Philippines’ record against typhoons now stands at a disappointing 0 Wins, 4 Draws, and 421 Losses, with a total of 425 matches played since 1974 when PAGASA first started tabulating scores.
Attracting little attention when it emerged in a low-pressure area in the Philippine Sea west of Guam on October 19, Kristine first drew concern from PAGASA when it entered the Philippines’ area of responsibility as a tropical depression two days later to challenge the island nation to a match.
Graphic: Severe tropical storm Kristine tore through the Philippine island of Luzon
Lacking any meaningful offensive power against weather phenomena, Team Philippines’ defensive play relies heavily on its much vaunted Sierra Madre, a phalanx of mountains that runs north-south across its main island of Luzon protecting its eastern flanks, and its much publicized recent investments in flood-control measures backed by a budget of PHP182 billion in 2023 and PHP244 billion in 2024.
However, aided by a warming Pacific Ocean caused by climate change, by October 23 Kristine had morphed into a severe tropical cyclone which threatened the archipelago with fierce winds, powerful storm surges and record rainfall.
After initial probing feints along Luzon’s eastern flank, Kristine finally broke through the lightly defended province of Isabela in northern Luzon, and later overwhelmed token resistance throughout the archipelago with its furious winds and heavy rainfall bringing widespread destruction and flooding.
Team Philippines’ manager Bongbong Marcos cut an isolated figure when he conceded defeat early on during the first hours of the match saying he felt “a little helpless” in the face of Kristine’s unstoppable onslaught.
By then, much of the Philippines’ defenses have already capitulated, beaten down by 110kmh winds and flooded by up to 3 meters of water in many places.
Photo: Flooded rice fields in Naga, Camarines Sur
On the morning of October 24, Kristine and its entourage finally left the defeated nation after a 24-hour rampage that left dozens dead, millions more displaced and billions of pesos in damage.
The painful loss exposed yet again Team Philippines’ familiar failings against its perennial adversary, its inadequate match preparations and costly defensive errors proving decisive despite its home field advantage. It also calls into question whether Marcos is the right manager to lead the team out of its seemingly permanent rut.
Notwithstanding earlier promises to strengthen its defense, the country’s flood-control measures were nowhere to be found, despite billions of pesos allotted for their budget. Continued deforestation not only in Sierra Madre but throughout the archipelago had also weakened the already fragile defenses against rain and flooding.
Despite his obvious faults, however, pundits agree that sacking Marcos would probably matter little in the long run, and that the team’s problems are structural, requiring painful reforms and decades-long investment in expensive defense and flood-control mechanisms.
But after yet another humiliating loss–47th in a row–even ardent supporters, many still drenched in rain, have begun to wonder when enough is enough.