Wednesday, August 22, 2007 Limlingan: After the drought has gone By DP Limlingan The Advocate
JUST recently, priests urged people to pray for rain. The dry spell has caused misfortune to most of our farmers, for it's the start of the planting season particularly palay seedlings.
I can still recall when I was still young... mid-May, I can hear frogs croaking and then a gush of the summer's rain. Every afternoon then marked the smell of flowers in bloom and the warm air from the heated ground was suddenly washed with rain.
Now, when it rains it pours -- literally that is. It looks like heaven made sure that the mess of plastics and non-biodegradable materials will clog our drains and cause floods, for us to realize how careless we have been in throwing away our filth.
Piles and piles of trashes fill our canals and other waterways. It's our own doing. The ubiquitous yellow and red plastic bags from two giant malls, empty mineral water bottles, Styrofoam and the like act as blockers to our sewers.
Year after year, we have the same experience. I wonder what happened to the House bill that mandates the use of paper bags instead of plastics especially in grocery stores?
Rains came late, too. We were already in the middle of August when the rains came. Perhaps because our prayers were answered? Saved by the bell, said our farmers.
Despite the tardiness of the rainy season, farmers heaved sigh of relief. Nevertheless, palay seedlings and other agricultural crops tasted the havoc of torrential rains brought by the three consecutive weather disturbances. Less is bad, too many, worse. Some are now praying for the rains to stop.
It won't be long now when the "ber" months would start. I can imagine spending undas, Christmas and New Year under the rain. "Trasado na ang panahon ngayon, ika nga.
The province has been declared under a state of calamity due to the hammering of heavy downpour that destroyed some farm crops and infrastructures like pavements, roads, bridges, houses and dikes. I heard that some portions of the lateral dikes within the Megadike area or in the vicinity of the Municipality of Bacolor suffered slight damages. We just had five typhoons so far. An estimated 25 or more to come.
Perennially flooded is the Municipality of Candaba. Located at the eastern side of Pampanga, it houses the infamous Candaba Swamp.
Noteworthy is the resilience of Candabeños in times of typhoons, rains and floods. Mayor Jerry Pelayo, for his part, as the chief executive of that town, has continuously called for some support whether in the form of rescue, infrastructure like flood mitigating projects, flood control, relief goods and medical assistance, especially in trying times of calamities for the sake of his constituents.
Meanwhile, residents of Arayat, Sta. Ana and Mexico towns now enjoy the benefits of the upgrading of roads, particularly Gapan-Olongapo Road which traverses along those three neighboring municipalities. The portion after the Mexico town proper up to the Mexico Abacan Spillway has been upgraded and boasts of new concrete. The road near the Mexico-Sta. Ana boundary has been upgraded too with the trees on the road shoulders painted with dashing colors. Mayor Omeng Concepcion proudly told me about the tree painting projects he initiated. They add up to motorists' road safety measures, not to mention the beautification, considering the area as the entrance to the municipality of Sta. Ana. Last rainy season, strong rains rendered the said road impassable even to heavy vehicles.
What seems to be in peril of being regularly flooded are the intersection of Gapan-Olongapo Road right under the relatively new flyover and the road fronting SM Pampanga Mall and the Robinsons Starmills. The two areas should be given attention, the latter area being the show window of the province in terms of booming trade and commerce and should be a matter of concern to our governmental agencies and authorities. We cannot just let flooding on that portion of that road wash away with it the promising investments the province is attracting. Not only is it a major thoroughfare, it is an investment hub as well.
During calamities like typhoons, relief goods are not only necessary, they are a fad too. Blame it on the Filipino culture of just relying on fish given and not on fish fished by oneself.
For the heck of it, I was recently a recipient of two kilos of rice and four packs of instant noodles. Shared the rice to others in our neighborhood that needed it badly.
"Relief"-giving is a great opportunity too for our barangay officials to be "visible and caring" for their constituents in the community. They need "visibility" badly right now and I guess you know why. Barangay folks, on the other hand, greatly appreciate what is handed to them.
Despite the great amount of rain and water that befell the sacred lands of Pampanga, Pampangueños are tested against anything, and this is what takes them to live in spite of calamities. Backed up by ingenuity, some can make a living out of ferrying people in floodwaters. Some catch fish right in their backyards. After the dry spell, here comes the rain.
Allow me to thank Atty. Robert Alexander R. Malig of the City of San Fernando and Lito Basilio of Minalin, Pampanga for taking their time to comment on my last week's column.
For any comments or suggestions, email the writer at dencious@yahoo.com.
