When Super Typhoon Uwan—known internationally as Fung-wong—barreled into the Bicol Region in early November 2025, it wasn’t just the howling winds and torrential rain that left their mark. The storm’s destructive path laid waste to 55,198 hectares of abaca farms, devastating a crop that is the lifeblood for thousands of families and a cornerstone of the Philippines’ global agricultural reputation. According to the Department of Agriculture (DA), the damage amounted to a staggering 7,492.90 metric tons of fiber, valued at over PHP38 million. For many local farmers, still reeling from last year’s Typhoons Pepito and Kristine, the destruction felt like a cruel blow just as they were starting to recover.
But Uwan was not the only storm to batter the archipelago that month. Just days earlier, Typhoon Kalmaegi—locally called Typhoon Tino—had swept across the central Philippines, dumping an astonishing one-and-a-half months’ worth of rain on Cebu and neighboring islands in a single day. According to The Church News, Kalmaegi left a tragic toll: more than 230 fatalities and millions affected, with thousands of families displaced or facing the daunting task of rebuilding their lives from scratch.
The back-to-back storms tested the resilience of communities and the capacity of local and national responders. After Uwan’s landfall on November 9, the Philippine government declared a state of calamity, particularly as northern and central Luzon—including Aurora, Isabela, Catanduanes, and Ifugao—bore the brunt of the storm’s fury. The Bicol Region, renowned as the country’s abaca powerhouse, suffered especially severe losses. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. underscored Bicol’s importance, noting, “We owe it to our abaca farmers to help them recover quickly and rebuild stronger. Their resilience fuels rural economies, and we will stand with them every step of the way.”
Indeed, Bicol contributes nearly one-third of the Philippines’ national abaca production, with Catanduanes alone responsible for at least 82 percent of the country’s output. More than 56,000 hectares of abaca fields and over 24,000 growers depend on the crop as their main source of income. The destruction was widespread: PhilFIDA’s latest Crop Damage Report showed 1,402 hectares slightly damaged, 18,097 hectares moderately damaged, and a staggering 35,699 hectares heavily damaged.
In response, the Department of Agriculture, through the Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority (PhilFIDA), partnered with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to launch an ambitious rehabilitation initiative. Their strategy? A labor-intensive recovery program, powered by the DOLE Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers cash-for-work scheme. This effort is set to mobilize 23,619 farmers, who will clear debris, trim damaged stalks, rehabilitate surviving plants, and replant uprooted or weakened abaca. The DA emphasized, “Replanting density will depend on the level of damage: 400 suckers per hectare in severely hit farms, 200 in moderately affected areas, and 100 in slightly damaged zones.”
Ensuring the safety and welfare of these farmers is a core component of the plan. Before any fieldwork begins, each beneficiary receives protective long-sleeved clothing, a cap, and a one-year personal accident insurance package from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC). PhilFIDA technicians are also on the ground, conducting field validation to map damaged sites, verify losses, and document conditions—essential steps before DOLE releases cash-for-work payments.
The program isn’t just about physical recovery; it’s about restoring hope and livelihoods. Farmers will receive cash incentives based on the severity of damage to their land: PHP3,000 per hectare for slightly damaged farms, PHP5,000 for moderately affected areas, and PHP10,000 for heavily damaged plots. Joint inspection teams—composed of PhilFIDA staff, local government agriculture offices, and barangay committees—are tasked with assessing the survival rates of replanted abaca before final incentives are issued. The government’s immediate goal is to restore at least 4,505.81 hectares of abaca farms within three months, aiming to stabilize the industry and help thousands of Bicolano families get back on their feet.
Yet, the government response is only part of the story. As the storms battered the islands, religious organizations and local communities rallied to provide emergency relief. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for instance, opened more than 240 meetinghouses across the Philippines as temporary shelters for displaced families. According to the Church’s Philippines Newsroom, the Church provided food, clean drinking water, utility services, temporary shelters, portable emergency lighting, hygiene and cooking supplies, and communication equipment to nearly 50,000 people affected by the twin typhoons.
Members of the Church across the country contributed warm meals, clothing, bedding, and other essentials. As of November 6, approximately 6,200 Church members had been impacted by Typhoon Kalmaegi, with many experiencing damage to homes and loss of property. Many families remained unable to return home and required assistance with clean-up efforts. The Church’s Philippines Newsroom posted on November 12 that assessment of assistance needs was ongoing, and praised the spirit of collective effort: “We express our deep appreciation to local Church leaders, members and missionaries who show Christlike love and embody the Filipino spirit of ‘bayanihan’ by continuing to support one another and their neighbors during this very difficult time.”
Remarkably, all missionaries serving in the Philippines were reported safe and accounted for. Damage to meetinghouses was minimal and all temples remained operational, allowing the Church to focus fully on relief and recovery work. The Church’s rapid mobilization and the opening of its facilities as shelters highlighted the crucial role that faith-based organizations can play in disaster response, especially when public resources are stretched thin by successive calamities.
Meanwhile, the broader humanitarian and economic implications of the storms are still unfolding. The loss of abaca—a crop known globally as Manila hemp—reverberates far beyond the fields of Bicol. The fiber is prized worldwide for its strength and versatility, used in products ranging from specialty papers to textiles and even currency. The setback threatens not only local livelihoods but also the Philippines’ position in the international market. With over 24,000 growers depending on abaca and the region producing nearly a third of the national supply, the urgency of recovery cannot be overstated.
As the rehabilitation efforts continue, the story of Bicol’s abaca farmers and the communities affected by Typhoons Kalmaegi and Uwan stands as a testament to resilience and solidarity. Whether through government-led cash-for-work programs, the selfless service of Church members, or the everyday acts of bayanihan—the Filipino spirit of communal unity—Filipinos are working, day by day, to rebuild what was lost and to strengthen the bonds that hold their communities together.
In the wake of back-to-back disasters, hope is being restored not just through the planting of new abaca shoots, but in the hands joined together across fields, towns, and faiths—each one determined to weather the storm and shape a stronger future.
