Hello again everyone, this is a public service announcement from your favorite socio-politico-cultural commentary website. We don’t normally do this, at least as far as I know, but since it’s quite obvious that we’re in for plenty of rain and other weather anomalies this rainy season, I think that you need to read some of this. Well, considering how the weather seems to have gone completely nuts in the past few years, I think it’s really important that we find ways to mitigate at least some of the problems that may arise along with rain water that will be pouring on our streets and houses.
Since its quite obvious that we can’t even rely on our own government to help us with what may very well happen with the less-than-pleasant climate we now have in the Philippines, I think we the common citizens should make a move towards ensuring our own safety. So lean in now and listen to some tips from Uncle Grimwald on what you can do now that rainy (or should I say storm) season is upon us. You never know, it might just save you a lot of trouble and perhaps even save your life or the lives of your loved ones.
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Tune In To The News And Public Announcements
Please listen to the news and listen to their announcements carefully. I know, I know, they can be unreliable sometimes and even I’m not exactly a big fan of the local media. However, I can still say that most of what they say is sound advice during times of disaster and, if they tell you that you might not be safe, better think it over carefully.
I’m not saying that you have to obey what they say immediately. You can still stay and take your chances if you want to. However, I have always believed in the idea that it is better to be safe than sorry.
Dispose Of Your Trash Properly
Again, for the thousandth or millionth time, please throw your garbage where you should. I know it seems trivial and that it can be troublesome but let me remind you that if you refuse to care about this, then you could be contributing to the endangerment of the lives of others as well as your own.
Even if one piece of trash seems small, if enough people litter with abandon, they can clog drainage systems and result in flooding. Also note that harmful chemicals or pathogens can be found in garbage and floodwaters make for an easy vector for said harmful chemicals or pathogens to reach you and your loved ones.
Put Up Low Lying Extension Cords And Other Electronic Devices
The thing is, flash floods tend to come out of nowhere. There’s no real way to prepare for some of them so it’s best to expect the unexpected. Usually, the power goes off just before it starts really flooding but hey, like I said, better safe than sorry.
You don’t want to leave any active extension cords lying on the floor once it starts flooding, trust me on that. Once, when it began to flood in my own area, I decided to turn off the power in my own home before the waters could reach our electric outlets. That turned out to be a good decision as the floodwaters reached them well before the local power company decided to turn off the power.
Get Rid Of Stagnant Water
Well, we all know that floodwater is a great vector for various diseases. You guys remember the outbreak of Leptospirosis, right? Well, that’s not the only thing you should worry about though.
As you all know, stagnant water is one of the favorite places mosquitoes like to breed in. This includes mosquitoes who are known carriers of diseases like malaria and dengue fever. I would also like to note that like the pieces of trash mentioned in one of the earlier parts of this article, mosquitoes may seem tiny and insignificant. However, the sheer deadliness of some of the diseases they carry can certainly ruin your day and possibly the rest of your life.
Don’t Buy Street Foods
Look, I’ll admit that I’m a big fan of street foods. It’s one of the major traits that mark me as a true Filipino. However, I can tell you, based on my own experiences even, that eating street food during rainy season might not be the best of ideas. With the open air and the fact that there’s stagnant, dirty and possibly contaminated water lying out in the open, it’s not a stretch of the imagination for flies, another fairly common carrier of diseases, to reach food and infect them. Just so you know, some of the most common diseases during rainy season are cholera and typhus which are waterborne diseases and can spread easily thanks to water being splashed around everywhere and flies being everywhere as well.
I know it’s tempting. I’ve been there. I remember resisting the urge to buy another ten pesos worth of fishballs and failing miserably. However, the very next day, I contracted a case of diarrhea which, while minor, was very unpleasant and made me very unhappy for the next few days. I was lucky (or unlucky, depending on how you see the situation) that it was nothing more than loose bowel movement at the time. Imagine if it had been cholera or worse.
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Anyway, we here at GRP certainly hope that you follow some of this advice and stay safe for the duration of this year’s rainy season or should I say storm season what with one typhoon following another. As I’ve said before both on this article and a lot of other articles before it, we can’t really rely that much on government assistance so we common citizens need to stick together and find our own way out of the mess we’re currently caught in. So wherever you are dear reader, always mind yourself and remember to keep your mind both open and critical.
I HAVE RETURNED TO LAY WASTE TO OUR ENEMIES!
Grim! *sarcastically* thanks to the storm season my studies in college are being delayed and the Prelims are fast coming darn!…But thanks for the Tips though 😉 I shall apply it in the the days ahead…btw…have you heard about the Verde Island Passage here? The most significant about it that I heard in the radio is its The Center of the Center of Marine shore Fish Biodiversity! and is endangered by the encroachment of deceptive “responsible” mining corporate ops… I think we should do something about it…the plundering and abuse of our natural reasources must STOP!!!
Indeed they must.
That picture you posted – what a pitiful sight. How can we even start thinking of a mass transit subway system when we can’t even get basic drainage right? We blame it on trash clogging the sewers but in reality the entire drain system cannot handle the torrential downpour we normally get during typhoons and monsoon season. Filipinos think and plan small – that’s the major issue. Learn from Tokyo. They have a massive underground holding bunker under the city for any sudden downpour of rain. They have pumping stations strategically located around the city to kick in when the rate of out flow cannot cope up with the in flow. Japanese apply common sense. I’m not sure what Pinoys apply to solve their problems. Or is it that people actually desire the floods – so they could have a valid excuse to get a break from school or work? What a loser mentality! Any plan to fail will surely succeed.
Ironically…we somehow want floods to take a break…my fellow freshmen just loves school suspensionsXD but I’ll Change that…right Zaxx?
Right on the money Apprentice! Continue shedding off every trace of broken Pinoy cultural mentality and you’ll end up to be a champion like Mayweather!
>> I’m not sure what Pinoys apply to solve their problems.
a) Pinoy Pride!
b) Bahala na.
>> Or is it that people actually desire the floods – so they could have a valid excuse to get a break from school or work? What a loser mentality!
I suspect that has a lot to do with it. To play the continual victim, you have to create situations that actually make you a victim. You’d look a bit silly saying “help help! give us money!” unless there’s some actual crisis happening. So the Pinoy has to manufacture plenty of crises.
It is a Glaring Show of stupidity and idiocy; that the Aquino administration is thinking of financing the MILF/ISIS/Al Queda Terrorists. But, it cannot even fix the yearly flooding of Metro Manila.
There is no existing Plans to repair the drainage system; or replace and upgrade those drainage pipes…I saw ALL TALKS; NO ACTION, after each flood. Those Squatters are the major cause of these flooding.
Aquino and his inept advisers have set their priorities on useless projects…
YellowTards can never solve the annual flooding of Metro Manila. They are only good for shouting political slogans for Aquino and Roxas…
We should confiscate Aquino’s Hacienda Luisita and sell it. To finance the repair of the drainage system in Metro Manila.
With this, we can partially solve Feudalism;promote Agrarian Reform and have some relief in the yearly flooding of Metro Manila.
Then let’s do it then! we Fight for the land! Like the Russians did in their lands when they were abused too! Literally! because…we don’t want to be massacred right? (Hacienda massacre & Mendiola Massacre, and all other massacres) Do it like the Russians! because if we don’t ….we dead…
Or an Army of patriotic Lawyers! will do hehe….I kinda got excited w/ the first oneXD sorry…”beast” insticts hahahaha
They will never give the Hacienda Luisita without a fight…Russian revolution slogan was: “Land and Bread”…Rasputin was killed by the revolutionists.
I think , there is a “Rasputin” in Aquino’s Circle of Counselors…
Virtue comes through contemplation of the divine, and the exercise of philosophy. But it also comes through public service. The one is incomplete without the other. Power without wisdom is tyranny; wisdom without power is pointless.
In the first place, the location for the capital of the Philippines was a very poor choice – an obvious bottleneck – geographically locked in by 2 bodies of water namely Laguna de Bay and Manila Bay. Hardly any room for expansion. Barely any elevation from sea level.
Floods and horrendous traffic will drive people mad. Japan moved their capital several times. The current location of Tokyo is perfect. a vast and wide area. Australia on the other hand decided to set up their capital from scratch away from any major city. It’s now a beautiful UP campus like place called Canberra.
Why don’t we just move the Philippine capital elsewhere? Why do our people have to endure all these hindrances to productivity. Let’s stop taking 3 steps forward then 2 steps back. I’m giving you a deadline PH: you have to look like Singapore within 30 years!
Sorry kid. That will not happen. Even for a thousand years.
No land for expansion? Dump more land on Manila bay to create more land. Problem solved 🙂
If you create more landfills; squatters will move there…more problems to be solved…more pollution,more floods,more miseries…
Zaxx! is it possible to lessen it to 15 to 18 years? or 30 years is logical?
Actually it might even take more than 30 years till we look like Singapore. If we start fixing this upcoming generation from kindergarten – as in program them with first world values to the core, they will start taking on seats of authority in their thirties. Then we will start to reap the fruits of what we have sown in their minds. So 40 years is more realistic – the span of 1 generation.
But it would be great to be optimistic. It’s better to aim at the moon and hit a bird, than aim at a bird and hit a rock.
Anyway Let’s hope the current corrupt lot of twisted logic Pinoys die off fast . I think duterte has some plans of his own – Kill em all! Not really my cup of tea though.
I’d rather nuke Manila – not in the literal sense. But start a mind revolution explosion at the heart of the capital that would spread to the 3 corners of our beloved Luz Vi Minda. Let’s replace panatang nakabayan with a new national creed.
If there’s any high ranking DECS official here- please let me know. I’m about to detonate my nuke soon but I’ll need their help. mabuhay ang Pilopinas! The Filipino is worth killing for – Duterte mindset (sorry bad ending) Let me correct that- the Filipino is worth …..his values, mindset and actions. So at the moment I don’t really feel like dying for empty Filipino pride. Let’s prove ourselves first – the incorruptibles will one day rule this land.
Solution to Manilas problem. HOPELESS CASE.Drop a nuke and start from scratch. Just like what the French did to Paris after the revolution. Don’t hire any pinoys to build the city or it will end up in disaster.
At least…this is more “probable” solution…”Nuke them!!!”…like the “Final solution” of German Nazi’s Hitler to the “Jewish problem” in Germany, during World War II…
The single most accurate WEATHER FORECAST’s that have ever been made are found at the following web-site:
https://www.yr.no
this web-site saved me from running into a typhoon that arrived sooner than ‘PAGASA’ or ‘Philvocs’ or whatever the idiotic meteorological service in the Philippines is called. OMG, that is one Philippine service that is beyond incompetent/idiotic and useless. OMG !
Dispose Of Your Trash Properly, you can forget that one. The whole city is one giant landfill dump.
I was in Imax last week the film ended the lights went on the guy sitting two seats away from me got up and left all his rubbish on the floor. The group of four sitting at the end of the aisle did the same. Walking down the stairs and the lady in front dropped her popcorn box on the floor. Absolutely disgusting, zero respect for anyone.