Adding insult to injury

How vulnerable man is before nature? The harrowing memories of massive flooding in Davao, Cagayan and Iligan were relived in Metro Manila in last week’s heavy monsoon rain, leaving scores of families to become homeless, and worse, lives and multi-million properties were swallowed up in the closely-monitored raging, critical-level mudflow. Earlier this year, same occurrence of tragedy struck many places like Valencia, Bukidnon, in Leyte, in Agusan del Sur and in the neighboring towns of Davao del Norte and Davao Oriental. This epic of nature-laden wraths continues, taking the blame on climate change, as weather experts would always say.

Those in danger were told to evacuate to higher grounds or at any identified site for safety. The poor share in agony with literally nothing left, except hope. Then and there, the images circulating through social media spoke of what the situation meant, the ugly, scowling and offensive tale of undoctored photos and videos of the events as they happened. Days before the great flood in Metro Manila would have subsided, the moro rebels launched simultaneous attacks in Central Mindanao, with five thousand families feared to be displaced. Whoever handling this government may just be blowing his top. These are just among the cases of forced evac our country experiences today, the vulnerability of the poor to lose home, if not life.

The trend in freak weather is a manifesto of a more chronic disturbance ahead. I wonder if everyone is still not alerted about this. It is a clear case of common sense. However, people are contributory to government’s problem, especially when they ignore advisories and warnings. But those who erected dwellings in places classified as danger zones must now think of their safety. It may be easier said than done, but when the balance is tilted in favor of saving lives, the poor must heed to the agenda of government. The cost-benefit theory in economics plainly stands because next to flooding is the rehabilitation effort which includes not only the repair of road networksbut also the more expensive, the re-building of a wrecked community. Millions of pesos are also spent in addressing the health problems of flood victims.

People’s participation to non-engineering solutions to minimize the chances of massive flood is called for. This would include systematic garbage collection and channel cleaning involving the community for this effort.  I was privileged to be at the core team to cover the launching of Mayor Sara Duterte’s Food for Work Program at Barangay Isla Verde. What welcomed us are murky, stagnant, and “could be” the foulest waters in Davao with a very disgusting smell. As a single misstep to unfixed wooden planks used as a bridge could warrant a sure dive, so I carefully watched my step. I reached the doorstep of Nora, one of the volunteers in her late 40s. Nora was at first hesitant to join the throng of men and women for the clean-up. But she said, there was a sense of fulfillment after seeing the water underneath her house to be clean again. The food packs the city gave her, she added, were just few incentives after a hard days’ labor. There was something in what she did that she cannot explain.

Aside from the atrocities in Central Mindanao, the tons of garbage and debris therefore have added insult to injury to the government, not only to all flood victims. The garbage speaks for itself. If people cried over their lost, they must have also yelled to the tons of wastes that effectively impeded the natural flow of water. Only the fool seek to amend the law of nature. Using as blueprint the project undergoing now in Davao, the Food for Work program to clean water ways, we can give life once again to our coastal waters and rivers. Perhaps, other people can also develop a positive outlook in life. Like what Nora told me, she can bring this tale to her children.