MANILA has recently turned into darkness as torrential rains flooded the entire metropolis and its outlying provinces. Heavy downpour lasted for more than 72 hours which caused unusual floods and overflowing of some dams.
As it struck, Typhoon Maring remained stationary north of Batanes, sucking all the southwest monsoon, thus filling the dams and flooding Metro Manila.
On its second day, classes and government offices, as well as the stock market, were suspended. Our streets turned into rivers. Both relief and rescue were slowed down, thus resulting in losses of both lives and properties.
Over 700,000 people were affected. We all know that much more had been impacted in a mega-city of about 12 million people.
Normally, we are used to this kind of weather considering we are now in the rainy season. But recent typhoons and their consequences continue to worsen.
We used to live in harmony with nature. We even used rainwater for everything from drinking to irrigation and to all household needs.
The hydrological process was normal until it has been multiplied in strength by a thousand fold due to global warming and climate.
The waters from above usually store themselves in the forest roots and watersheds. However, today they come down in the form of flash floods, destroying everything along their way.
This is the price we all have to pay for the ruined forest around us.
The government and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is aware who the illegal loggers are and had imposed a total logging ban. ALL DENR needs to do is enforce the ban to its fullest extent, since the illegal loggers remain unafraid.
Manila is a dying city in terms of environmental assets. Yet, the government continue to push for its own definition of ‘progress’ regardless of the adverse environmental impact.
What agenda does the government really have in developing the metropolis without consideration to its natural environment? They cannot even expedite the flood control project they started a decade ago!
To whose benefit will their agenda serve in the long run? If that ‘progress’ will eventually cost loss of lives and properties, as what is happening now, then the agenda never serves its purpose from the very onset.
Raising the water rates frequently does not benefit the, consumers. Don’t they know that we barely have water to give our people to drink?
Then they claim that ‘there is a need for a new source of water, thus a need to dam another river?’ DENR recently admitted that we have 148 critical river systems and only 16 river basins left. Do they really want to argue with nature?
What nonsense!
We are supposed to be rich in water. It is everywhere and yet our people have to forcibly pay for this God-given resources.
It freely comes from above into our watersheds and rivers down to the groundwater. It is a common knowledge. However, our water resources are mismanaged, abused, neglected and carelessly wasted.
In the global scene, if richer countries can splurge on their funds to spy on everyone in the planet using their high-tech equipment and facilities, surely they can use the same funds and expertise to stop the massive logging, help slow down emissions of greenhouse gases everywhere and legally pursue all global polluters.
What are they doing to our people and planet? Poverty is on the rise. The food chain is contaminated.
Our so-called ‘economic growth’ is actually joining the rest of the world in faltering.
Why must our country be pegged to the US dollar, thus making us slaves to the Federal Reserve?
We are a rich country and we have all the resources to survive. We can be self-sufficient and can combat climate change right in our own backyard.
We must act now with resolve as we face more disasters, unleashed by nature and by greed.
We must not allow the lid of darkness to lead us blindly to oblivion.
(By: Antonio M. Claparols - President ESP)