Habagat attack: Diary of an absent employee

Aristotle Cruz

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We are generally a reactive race, setting aside weather forecasts, which forewarns possible calamities and acts only when it has happened

FLOODS GALORE. Photo by Maurits Van Linder

For the first time in my employment history I was absent and I felt helpless if not downright disappointed because even if I wanted to, there was just no way that I could go to work given the severe flooding that engulfed the metro.

Don’t get me wrong, I am extremely thankful that my family, my loved ones, those that I know, and I are safe, dry and fueled.

Being exposed to a calamity this colossal has made me realize that:

(1) Inasmuch as this country is beaming with the most noble and kind-hearted volunteers with the purest intention to help and safe lives, there are also many of our kababayans who will use the crisis situation to their extreme advantage.

Among them are politicians giving out relief goods with their face stamped on giveaways like canned goods stuffed in plastic bags, and tricycle and jeepney drivers jacking up their prices by as much as 1,000%, some even going to the extent of letting passengers bid. Highest bid gets to go home.

(2) We think about the garbage situation in the country only during, and days after, the flood but we don’t do anything about it. Sure, some LGUs have started to implement the use of paper bags and proper waste segregation, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. Waste management is more than a change in process; we need a change in behavior.

(3) Tuning in to the news almost 24/7 makes you ask the question, “Why do we have stubborn kababayans who will refuse preventive evacuation only to beg for it when the situation has become a matter of life and death?’

(4) Given the recent weather trends, a two- or 3-story house no longer gives you and your family immunity or peace of mind. Everyone is vulnerable.

(5) We are generally a reactive race, setting aside weather forecasts, which forewarns possible calamities and acts only when it has happened. Case in point: the long, crazy queue in supermarkets and groceries while rains are pounding non-stop.

(6) For the middle and working class, an Internet connection (or a Twitter account for that matter) is more important than having an electric or water supply. No Internet connection means a very limited source of real-time updates.

(7) Stupidity knows no calamity – as with the case of RH bill detractors who used the incident to “strengthen” their case and conclude (without reason or logic) that God sent the rains as punishment for the country for pushing for the RH bill.

(8) News on TV does not help promote critical analysis and dwells on the mushy stuff which, more often than not, promotes nothing. Some TV stations are obsessed with how much in donations they have raked in without asking, when will we get to that point when donations will no longer be necessary?

(9) Flooding is more than a garbage problem. It is a problem that has been discussed and resolved by many urban cities around the world, our neighbors included (Singapore and Malaysia). It is a problem that involves careful analysis of our topography, sewerage system, zoning, waterways and sources, among others. We do not lack brilliant minds, we lack direction.

Being stranded for 12 hours and seeing the water perpetually rise, and having no clue how you could go home safely is a traumatic experience, but this is nothing compared to what thousands of Filipino families went through during Ondoy and the recent Habagat attack.

What is both sad and scary is that there seems to be no visible ray of light as of the moment. Not until the government develops a better strategy than relief operations. Not until we demand more from government officials. Not until we demand more responsibility and accountability from ourselves, as well. Until then, the future remains cloudy for Metro Manila. – Rappler.com


Aristotle Cruz blogs and has contributed to Rappler in the past. Visit http://aristotleandatlantis.blogspot.com/2012/08/attack-of-habagat-diary-of-absent.html.

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