Here come the rains

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor CHERYL CRUZ Desk Editor PATRICK PANGILINAN Busines Editor NIDA A. BUENAFE Sports Editor RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

The rains have started falling with increased regularity in the past few days but the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration says that it is officially still summer because the conditions for the declaration of the wet season have not yet been met.

PAGASA is expecting the onset of the rainy season to take place as early as the last two weeks of May, or as late as mid-June, but this does not mean that local governments should wait for the wet season to be officially declared before ensuring that their areas are as flood-free as can be. This is a task that should have been prioritized during the summer months, when drainage systems were more accessible and therefore easier to clean and maintain but it is entirely possible that this routine, but critical task may have been forgotten due to the skewed priorities of most government officials during the election period.

The rains are already starting to fall and summer is definitely on its way out. If local officials in charge of the maintenance of storm drains and flood control programs have not taken advantage of the dry season to prepare their cities for the torrential rains and the potential floods that could follow, then they have to act now. It may be almost too late but at least they can still get something done before PAGASA officially declares the start of the rainy season.

We should consider ourselves fortunate that our climate has only two seasons: the wet and the dry. Common sense dictates that we should take advantage of the dry season in order to efficiently prepare our communities for the other. Hopefully the people who are responsible for this mundane but crucial task were not busy campaigning for their favorite candidates but were proactive enough and had the capability and resources to do their job as far as clearing, cleaning and maintaining storm drains, rivers and esteros were concerned during this hectic summer.*