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Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Wenceslao: Explosion in Basak, Mandaue
By Bong O. Wenceslao
When I first heard reports of a powerful explosion in Barangay Basak, Mandaue City, my first concern was the Asean Summit that Cebu will host in December. If it was a terrorist hit, will the international gathering be shifted to another place? The worry vanished when subsequent investigations described the blast as “mechanical explosion.”
In this post-9/11 era, we tend to jump to conclusions when incidents like the one in Basak happen. Josua, our cartoonist, was driving to the office in his ever-reliable Beetle from their house in Consolacion when a traffic snarl caught his attention. “Naa kunoy gibombahan sa mga terorista sa unahan,” he heard the other drivers say. Oh, well.
But even if the incident was no terrorist hit, it was tragic in many ways. Two died, more than 10 were injured. Glass and wall splinters dug into flesh, or in one case sliced a man’s neck. The structure of a laundry shop (Gene’s) ended up with torn walls. All for one innocent act: sparks from a switch fired up leaked liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
That was recipe for another worry, after all, many households in the urban areas have LPG tanks tucked somewhere in the kitchen. Yesterday, I checked the hose and the regulator, smelt the air around for that peculiar odor, mixed soap with water and poured the liquid on the joints. No leaks. But I promised to move the tank outside soonest.
It’s sad how we wait until some major accidents happen before we start to value the word safety. The last time I heard, Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo Ouano was speaking about checking similar establishments, for safety. Media people, too, scrambled to get authorities to talk. Topic: LPG tanks and, yes, safety. Hope this is no ningas cogon thing.
As for the Summit, are we really prepared? While the Basak incident was not a terrorist hit, it was a blast nevertheless. The boom, the destruction, the deaths---they were eerily familiar. So what did we see? Cops caught unaware. Traffic jam. Confusion. But I reckon some lessons were learned, too. Which is one positive way of viewing a tragedy.
REUNION. As the grand reunion on Oct. 21 of the Southwestern University High School alumni nears, Letty Sindo-Plaza informed me that a meeting among our former classmates who are still in Cebu has been tentatively scheduled on Sept. 21 at the house of Eneria Abellana-Pusta in Kinasang-an, Pardo. You can contact me for more information through the cell number listed below.
(khanwens@yahoo.com/ 0915-9228651/my blog: cebuano.wordpress.com)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (September 13, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
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