This June, UP Resilience Institute’s UP NOAH Center joins the celebration of Pride Month in the Philippines. In the spirit of the season, we’re here to bust some prevailing myths that continue to persist today. Whether it’s about the LGBTQIA+ community or about flooding, misconceptions can be just as dangerous as the things they misrepresent. These narratives may offer simple answers to complex events, but they distract us from the real causes of disasters and the importance of preparedness.
The tendency to oversimplify shapes how we understand flooding. Many assume that rainfall alone determines flood risk and areas with no history of flooding are permanently safe. In reality, flooding is influenced by many interconnected factors including topography, land use, drainage systems, and river conditions. Understanding concepts such as floodplains, watersheds, river basins, and rain return periods helps communities better recognize why flooding happens, and why hearing “Ngayon lang nangyari sa amin ito” often reflects a lack of awareness rather than the absence of risk.
This need for increased awareness is why UP NOAH Center continues to make flood hazard information accessible to everyone. Through the collaborative work of its Flood Modeling Component, Hazard Assessment Team, Planning Component, and WebGIS Development Team, scientific hazard assessments and flood maps are translated into tools that students, local government units, researchers, policymakers, and the public can use to make informed decisions before disasters occur.
They say love knows no boundaries—and neither does a flood. Floodwaters do not ask who you love, what you believe, or where you stand politically. Nature does not discriminate, but misinformation does. This Pride Month, UP NOAH Center stands with every community that deserves better information and better chances when the rains come. Because awareness saves lives—and “Bahala na si Batman” is not a flood mitigation strategy.