Due to its geographical location and history of colonialism and extractive capitalism, the Philippines is considered one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. In the context of disaster response, disasters are traditionally treated as extreme physical events that require top-down solutions that are gender-blind and disregard the socio-political and economic context. The integration of gender perspectives into disaster management has recently gained momentum with the recognition of gender, class and ethnicity as factors that influence people’s different experiences of disasters. This is reflected not only in government policy, but also in the development and deployment of disaster management policies supported by feminist stakeholders and organisations. Feminist organisations have played a crucial role in incorporating women’s voices and experiences at all stages of disaster management and placing disasters within the constellation of broader socio-political conditions. This demonstrates the ways in which women take a proactive role in disaster management and adopt a bottom-up approach to make the communities less vulnerable to disasters. In this article, we explore the development of gendered narratives in disaster management in the Philippines, the influence of feminist organisations and the impact on the development of inclusive disaster management strategies. In addition, this article considers how the lessons learned from feminist organising in the lead up to and in response to disasters in the Philippines can potentially be applied into disaster management in Southeast Asian countries.