Overlapping disaster and conflict events reveal gaps in displacement reporting in the Philippines

Abstract Disasters and conflict increasingly overlap, yet siloed humanitarian reporting often leaves complex displacement overlooked. Little is known about who is left out and how reporting gaps occur. We conduct a comparative analysis of data reporting in the Philippines, examining cases of the Marawi Siege and Severe Tropical Storm Tembin (Vinta) in 2017 and Severe Tropical Storm Nalgae (Paeng) in 2022. We present disparities in the frequency, timing, and spatial coverage of complex displacement reporting. Our results provide empirical evidence of structural invisibility in complex displacement reporting. This arises from event-based frameworks that prioritise discrete, single-hazard responses, which may unintentionally marginalise communities in politically sensitive or hard-to-access crisis zones. We highlight that capturing displacement data is not only an accounting exercise – it constructs the way displacement is understood. We argue for more dynamic, multi-trigger displacement tracking and for the use of integrated displacement and conflict data in advancing anticipatory action.