Flooding and fighting
north and south

Floods in the north, fighting in the south. That is what happening in our country now. We in the middle should kneel and give thanks that, except for the unpredictable rains, we have been spared such fates.

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Up to late yesterday, all one could see in the newspapers and on TV were scenes of murky floodwater and people, wet and bedraggled, being rescued from their former dwelling places. The most pitiful sights were those of very young children, babies, even, being carried by rescuers to safety. Up to very late last night, the situation was still the same, some places had water neck deep while others showed crushed hovels and shanties.

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Aside from the rampaging waters that could easily outbalance anyone trying to walk through them, there were also scenes of landslides, accompanied by reports of houses and people buried under them. A houseowner exclaimed that what was happening was worse than “Ondoy”, the 2009 calamity that had claimed dozens of lives and destroyed millions in property. And, indeed, official reports did say that the volume of water that rushed into the towns and cities, including Metro Manila, was greater than Ondoy!

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The calamity has put on hold almost all kinds of activities in Manila, public and private. Banks have been closed, schools are out, even Congress has held off its activities. Not even the United States Embassy was spared, water also rushed into its premises and it was not business as usual there, too. The worst are the hospitals, where patients had to be moved to higher floors, and worst hit, as reported, was the UERM, or University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Hospital, where the staff had to transfer patients, because water had almost reached its second floor.

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While government effort is concentrated on the floods in Luzon, its military arm is battling with enemies of the state in Mindanao. As of yesterday, reports said that intense fighting was going on in Datu Unsay in Maguindanao, and more than 1,000 barangay folk are trapped because the fighting is raging around them. As if to exacerbate everything, earthquakes have also been recorded in parts of Manila and Luzon. Pasay City, Sampaloc, Clark and Olongapo have been hit by tremors of varying intensity, with 5.3 intensity the highest noted. We are no longer in the time of Noah, and instead of an ark, our rescuers are using rubber boats. Such boats are really proving their usefulness – we had very few of them during the time of “Ondoy”, and that was probably why the casualties were so many.

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As if to make matters worse than ever for our people, announcements came out yesterday that the cost of fuel was going to be raised any time now, with gasoline adding 80 centavos per liter, diesel 40 centavos, and kerosene 30. Are we being punished for something? So many calamities are striking our people. It may sound ironic, but one can’t help thinking of the saying “When it rains, it pours”. What is pouring on us these days is not only water. With the hike in fuel prices, look out for increases in the prices of other goods and necessities.

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Meanwhile, it may be flooding over here, but the greatest show on earth, as it has been billed, continues in London, with the top honor being fiercely contested by China and the United States. No matter which of them makes it to this year’s championship, the real winner is actually the host country, Great Britain. Not only was it able to compete decently, it succeeded in showing the world how truly civilized, peaceful, talented, and efficient it is. Also, it has so cleverly scheduled and plotted the courses and venues of the competitions that the beauty and serenity of its countrysides, and the magnificence of its capital were fully presented for all to see.

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Also, so far, nobody has complained or exposed any fakery, as what happened when it was discovered in Beijing that the little girl shown to be singing their anthem was only lipsynching, or that the fireworks at the closing rites were “pre-produced”. No sirrah, what the Britons exhibited, so far, were all genuine. Bully for them!*

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