Time for serious study, planning

THERE is little to add about the extent of damages wrought by the back-to-back typhoons and monsoon rains that hit the province. There is only one undeniable fact that can be said – our province will likely suffer more in the months and years ahead if our local governments don’t respond appropriately accordingly.

While there is absolutely nothing that Pangasinan can do to stop the almost yearly occurrence of calamites spawned by a destructive climate change, our provincial, town and city governments can and must do something to minimize its impact on our homes, infrastructures and farms.

We have the scientific data on our rivers and mountains, facts about calamity prone areas, period of calamities, records of extent of damages caused by past typhoons and storms and number of families and farmers affected, location of schools used as evacuation centers, state of rivers and mountains, etc. We have enough data that will and should enable our governments to plan and act on a long term and short term strategy that can mitigate disastrous impacts of climate change.

Late as it may seem, our local officials should take the cue from President Duterte who proposed the creation of a Department of Disaster Management in his last SONA.

Time to do some serious study and planning for prevention and management of calamities in our towns and cities.

 

Vanishing

 IN his July 23 SONA (State of the Nation Address), President Duterte said: “I now ask rice hoarders …and their protectors: Stop messing with the people, or the full power of the state will be upon you.”

Since time immemorial, not a single rice hoarder or his protector has been arrested, charged in court and convicted.  With the President’s stern warning, will we see their kind taste “the full power of the state” soon?

Or will these “scoundrels,” as Mr. Duterte calls them, finally listen up and start reforming their ways?  Illusion.

A rice hoarder hides his sacks of rice by the hundreds he had bought very cheap from poor farmers, helps create an artificial rice shortage by withholding distribution of the precious grain, and next sells them when there is great demand but at prices that give him a maddening bonanza of profits.  It is this breed that needs vanishing—swiftly.

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