Ships would then be able to risk the journey here in the typhoon season, and our fishermen could buy bigger boats. We must rely totally on Philippine Airlines domestic flights, and they aren't as frequent as I would like. We have a small hospital here, but we cannot deal with serious medical problems like heart attacks. If we can't provide the treatment here, then patients must hope a PAL plane is due to arrive, and that the weather will allow it to land. It can be a matter of life and death.
People can, and do die if they take ill at the wrong time.
On the brighter side, the islands have a large number of centenarians with all their faculties intact. It didn't take long for me to experience typical Batanes weather. My first morning on Batan, blue skies changed to howling gale and lashing rain within minutes. You may have to wait for a few more days for a plane. I was lucky.