While it’s hot

ONE day in late January, the chill in the air was suddenly gone. Summer seems to have come early. This could mean the onset of the rainy and typhoon seasons, normally towards the end of May, could be sooner – and along with it the threat of flooding.

Local governments units (LGUs) should now strike while the iron is hot, so to speak, in terms of preparations for emergency situations that arise with the ever unpredictable rains.

As a coastal province with rivers that serve as paths for water from the uplands flowing out into the Philippine Sea on the western side of the country, municipalities and cities must now put an urgent stamp on plans for dredging rivers and programs for other mitigating measures. Each LGU must see to it that they have a local disaster risk reduction and management team that is active, with the barangays officials serving as frontline soldiers. Evacuation centers – evaluated for safety – must be identified and the people informed of where these are. Dagupan City, perhaps the most vulnerable area in Pangasinan, needs to step up its ongoing efforts in the event of natural calamities.

The provincial government, now well-equipped and organized on disaster-preparedness, could extend its program to help ensure that Pangasinenses in the 44 towns and four cities won’t have to needlessly suffer from loss of lives and properties. While we have no control over nature, we can minimize the harm and damages with the right initiatives for preparedness.

Pangasinan is not unfamiliar with disasters having had its share of earthquakes, strong typhoons, and flooding in the past. The memory of Yolanda in the Visayas remains fresh too. There is nothing to lose by being ready, and everything by not.

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Hong Kong’s childish move

 WHY President Aquino continues to refuse to apologize for the death in 2010 of Hong Kong tourists at the Rizal Park in Luneta continues to baffle the people.  The vacationers died while on board a parked bus and being held hostage by an armed ex-policeman seeking justice for an alleged injustice meted him by the government.  In a bid to rescue the tourists, the police stormed the bus, resulting in the death of eight tourists and the wounding of several others.

Mr. Aquino has apologized to the kin of the victims but not to the Hong Kong government; we wonder why. In retaliation, HK officials have required starting last week Philippine functionaries to secure a visa before entering the former British Crown colony.  While we may not totally agree with P-Noy’s firm stand not to apologize, we find HK’s retaliatory move to be childish and bereft of statesmanship.  Will HK soon ban the hiring of Filipinos as domestic helpers?

That will be the day.

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