Sinking island in Philippines: Community fights to survive

On the tiny Philippine island of Pugad in Bulacan province, life has become a daily battle against the encroaching sea. For 65-year-old street food vendor Maria Tamayo, mornings begin with hours of scooping seawater out of her home with a plastic dustpan. It is a routine she has followed since rising tides from Manila Bay began steadily submerging the seven-hectare island.

Tamayo is one of around 2,500 residents in Pugad’s lone village, where flooding dictates everyday rhythms. Class schedules are adjusted around tide charts to protect children from waterborne illness, homes are raised on stilts, and shops rely on high tables to keep goods above murky water that can rise to chest level during heavy flooding.

Experts warn that Pugad’s plight is part of a broader crisis. The province of Bulacan is sinking by nearly 11 centimetres a year due to groundwater extraction, compounded by faster-than-average sea level rise across the Philippines. Authorities have implemented limited measures, such as restricting well-digging, but a comprehensive national strategy may not arrive until 2028.

For villagers, adaptation has become costly. Tamayo’s family has spent thousands of pesos annually raising their home, while roads are elevated every few years to keep the community viable. Still, many residents, including fishermen and boatmen, say leaving is not an option because their livelihoods depend on the sea.

For now, life on Pugad Island remains a delicate balancing act — with families determined to endure, even as the waters rise higher each year.