Metro Manila and other parts of our country are currently bracing for what PAGASA calls as SIYAM SIYAM, a continuous pouring of heavy rain for nine consecutive days and nights. They said the last recorded Siyam Siyam in our country happened 17 years ago. Actually, today is already the 10th day of unabashed rain, so SAMPU SAMPU na, parang tumataya sa Tirimbi. The weather report said that the sky would begin to clear starting this Thursday, the problem is today is only Tuesday and the floods are already roof high so a drop of rain is one too many.
From what we see, we are having a semi-Ondoy. Although now we are all more-prepared from the painful lessons during Ondoy, the fact remains that our flood waters are wreaking havoc to us because of the following reasons—- denudation of our forest covers, illegal settlers have covered the water ways, rivers, lakes, canals. Gazillion garbage block the drainage systems and canals. Many real estate developers have covered and cemented the waterways preventing the natural flow of rain water coming from the valleys and mountains. Houses and buildings have been built on swamps and dried rivers. Overflowing waters from our dams go to the towns instead of flowing to the lake, river and ocean because their natural waterways had been blocked and or too shallow from silt, dirt and garbage. The rivers, lakes and the bays could hold less rain water because they are getting shallower each day from more garbage. And maybe the unpredictable weather patterns are now reflective of the bad effects of global warming.
As one human being living in this modern day age of nice-packaging, commercialism and materialism, I am also guilty of adding to Earth’s mess. I have been eating Growers peanuts eversince I came back from the US and everytime I opened one pack, I would tell myself “dagdag na naman ito sa basura”. So shall I just buy the nilagang mani peddled in caritons but nowadays vendors place them in plastic supot.
