Nasty typhoons –
the new normal?

There’s only one thing to write about these days – and that’s the weather. The drama in the Manila and environs, of people practically swimming to navigate the streets, the poor folk near the rivers who see their chairs, tables, mattresses, beds carried away by the merciless current, is now etched in our brains and make us ask the following question:

“Hey, what’s happening to the weather, not only here in the Philippines but also in China. Pictures of cars, submerged in water, in cities such as Beijing are a bit unusual, not to speak of that mighty flood in Bangkok”.

The nightmare scenario is the one where floods will be normal every rainy season. Visions of more Ondoys?

Have we really reached the plateau of global warming wherein the heat of the planet, aggravated by gases causes the weather to deteriorate – witness a big part of the United States, devastating corn fields, making their price shoot up.

Even as I write, the weather people are already saying that worse weather may arrive with the typhoons still expected to come. When all of these climatic devastations are over, how much, if quantified are the losses both on the private and governmental sectors?

There is only one answer: Very, very substantial. The budget of the country may have to be modified to answer for the aid to the homeless and for infrastructure that is designed to mitigate, if not eliminate, the effects of the floods.

For instance, according to news reports, the national government is poised to re-locate informal settlers in the Metro Manila dangers zones.

The cost? Relocating one family is estimated to cost at least P150,000 and there are 125,000 families in the capital and about 65,000 around Laguna de Bay.

So get your calculator and start pressing the buttons for the total.

So, today, (August 15) as I continue with this column, a new typhoon called Helen is dumping more rains on the east coast of Luzon. The storm area is a red blot on the weather picture. Luckily, Negros island and Panay are not in the danger area.

And yet some voices are raised, blaming not only the unusual rains “but also lack of planning and coordination in terms of urbanization”. This comes from columnist Armando Doronila in his column Analysis.

Can we or should we blame government planners? According in Doronila, for instance, storm Ondoy (2009) forced more than two million people in Metro Manila to evacuate to safety and turned Marikina into a lake of death.

One thing is certain: from now on: the memory of Ondoy and Gener will hang over the heads of government and even private engineers vis-à-vis the infrastructure that they will have to build.

***

The Forty-Niners. I’ve been meaning to write about our Negros Occidental High School class that graduated more than half a century ago. Describe this as a twinge of nostalgia and an attempt to recreate a slice of the past that is fast fading into relative oblivion.

I had more contact with the Forty Niners in their re-unions when Lina Muñoz, one of our classmates who worked with the Sicangco Law Office, used to give me a call to update me on the meetings. I understand she got sick and I can only wish she’ll be well again.

The present, president of N.O.H.S. class ’49 is “Admiral” Marianing Tuvilla. We call him “admiral” because he used to be with the Philippine Navy.

“Toti” Ramos is a constant attendee at our re-unions. Other members of our class which I can recall without jogging my memory are: Irving Villasor who used to sing during our re unions. Atty. Jose Diaz also used to sing but his repertoire was limited to Visayan songs. My classmates at section two (there were many sections) include George Hofileña who became a Jesuit priest; Ifor Solidum who became a prominent professor in the University of the Philippines. I believe Lourdes Lopez, daughter of our principal, Doming Lopez, was also a classmate. George Fuentebella, George Yap, Cesar Querubin, and others. I beg forgiveness for not mentioning some of them. However, the following are members of N.O.H.S. class ’49. Dr. Francisco Feria, Mayor Severo Palanca, Judge Emma Labayen, Dr. Paeng Salvador, Salvador Macainan (who transferred with many classmates to the new City High School).

I don’t know if there will ever be another big reunion of the Forty Niners. Time flies so fast. Probably this will depend on “Admiral” Marianing Tuvilla to rally once more, the class of ’49.*

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