We were on our way home when Kerikin, my roommate, commented that getting home at past 8 o’clock in the evening is better than going home after office hours since by doing so we we are able to avoid heavy traffic. I was not surprised when the driver of the passenger vehicle we are riding joined in our conversation saying that traffic during that hour is still not okay. Then he asked us if our house was flooded when Ondoy stormed. We said no and he commented that out of several people he asked the same question we are the only ones who answered no. He also added that we were lucky. Apparently, some parts of Pasig are still flooded. A silly thought hit me about those still flooded places being part of a body of water but then rejected the idea blaming the condition to clogged water passages. Then the conversation progressed. I was liking that man’s way of thinking. He was so absorbed on what he was talking. We discussed people throwing garbage anywhere and how it can be blamed for what happened during the storm (And I totally agree with him!), senator’s pork barrel, corrupt officials, people from the province leaving their homes to crowd Metro Manila in the hope of getting a good job to earn money and more importantly he talked daringly about political monopoly and corruption. Our conversation halted when we were about to get off but he advised us to really vote for the right people on the upcoming election. Who are these people?? Well, it’s our responsibility to find out.
The thing about us is that we can easily cope up and start all over again during times like this. We tend to easily forget and move on but I hope that what just happened in our country will serve as a wake up call to us Filipinos.
If we really don't know how to fix it, then we should stop breaking it.
I was astonished watching this girl deliver her speech at a U.N. assembly in behalf of other children about environmental issues. And for this very reason, I would like to share this video hoping that most of you guys will watch it and that girl’s message will not fall on deaf ears.
Mull over her words and let’s start doing something for mother earth.
From now on, we should make a commitment not to throw garbage anywhere. To make the deed easier we should have this mind setting, every time we’re about to throw something, a candy wrapper or anything, we should think that we can be considered a criminal responsible for the loss of so many lives during calamities for this garbage that we’re about to throw can block the passages of rainwater and may cause havoc. Therefore throwing garbage carelessly should be considered as mortal sin.
Also, if we are to do our grocery let's bring green bags or eco bags so as to lessen the use of plastics.
We have witnessed the rage of Ondoy when it struck Metro Manila last Saturday. Two of the most commonly reported explanations about the storm's destructive effect are too much rain (455 mm of rain fell in 24 hours) and climate change.
At first take on the issue, heavy rain may seem to be the most obvious cause.., climate change?? Well, yeah.. Maybe.. But watching the horrid scenes left by Ondoy, I could not ignore the wastes scattered everywhere. For me, and I think most of you will agree with me on this, these litters also have come into play in most places wreckage. If drainages were not clogged, water could have flowed through it allowing rainwater to go down easily.
In our dorm in Pasig, we were among those few people who got lucky to be spared by Ondoy's wrath but just a few blocks from our place, filthy floods were knee-deep inside other's homes. And because of that, we don't have electricity for a week!
Somehow, Ondoy managed to teach us an important lesson: to be concerned about the state of our environment. I hope many people realize the grave effect of not disposing wastes properly. I guess they do.. they just don't have the initiative to really do it as it should be. Let's be responsible with our garbage and try as much as possible to minimize plastic use. Let's save our environment for a healthy earth. ^_^
