FINALLY, the rains have come. Strong and hard.
And in social media, we find this pun getting viral. "Bahasa Malaysia is the national language of Malaysia. Bahasa Melayu is the national language of Brunei. Bahasa Indonesia is the national language of Indonesia. Bahasa Pilipinas is the national problem of the Philippines. Tuwing umuulan, Bahasa Pilipinas."
That really touched a raw nerve among Metro-Manilans when tropical storm Henry battered Luzon. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority has to suspend its number-coding traffic scheme amid lack of public transport.
And in Bacolod?
Two years ago, DPWH listed the areas of Robinsons Place in Barangay Mandalagan, Magsaysay Avenue, and Barangay Pahanocoy as most flooded areas in Bacolod.
Last year, Mayor Evelio Leonardia mentioned the heavy downpour that reached waist-high floods in Barangays 39, 40, Mandalagan, Singcang-Airport, and Taculing. Water level also reportedly went up in Barangays Pahanocoy and Alijis.
Now in 2018, we read the landslide in Salvador Benedicto. SunStar noted that 12,000 residents in six localities in Negros Occidental were affected by flooding and tornado brought by the heavy rains in the past days. Affected towns by flooding were Binalbagan, Pontevedra, Valladolid, Pulupandan, and Bago City.
None was from the City of Smiles. What a relief.
Despite the rains, I was mesmerized with potential floodwaters rushed to the drains at Gatuslao-Cottage Road. I saw no floods in the Singcang-Airport, and in Goodyear (Araneta-Alijis Road). The huge underground tamburongs did what it was expected to do: catch the menacing floodwaters.
Congratulations to the DPWH and the contractors. You passed the first test. Expect some heavy rains. But this time, Bacolodnos won't have to cry an SOS from menacing floods. They have been tamed.
(bqsanc@yahoo.com)