IT WAS almost three long weeks that the rains came, not suddenly but slowly and ferociously. Somehow the rains were not the same as those of the years past. Of course, there was a time that August, the whole of its 31 days, rained 24/7 non-stop during a certain year and we saw that this eroded a lot of areas in the Cordillera and in Baguio as well. Houses went down with the soil and so did their residents. Those were heart breaking days.
This time, the monsoon rains beat the downpour that usually came with a typhoon. It was intimidating like people did not know whether there was a storm or not. The weather forecasts would declare a typhoon coming and then nature reroutes towards another direction. And then, the rains would come ferociously, stopping for one to two hours in peaceful reverie...and then again, strike back as though a storm was in the air. Weird and thought provoking; thus was our City of Baguio the past three weeks; are there more coming?
During those times, families, parents and students were on their toes, trying to be ready for school or for any eventuality within the family abode. Broken windows, leaking roofs, jammed door locks, wet clothes, marketing through the rains, fogs, lost and broken umbrellas, wet footwear etc. Days came when people would be advised by radio stations not to go out and just stay safe in their homes. Those were very good warnings and advice. Indeed it was risky to be out on those rainy days that came and went and stayed!
And so the class suspensions came. Though our rules say that suspension of classes can be done at 10:30 p.m. the day before and also at 4:30 a.m. on the same day or 1130 am for afternoon classes, the spirit of this rule, should be taken wisely by the leaders responsible for our safety and health.
Bengueteños welcome the suspension of classes made by Governor Pacalso the night before, and the suspension again, made for the succeeding day. This act gave people time to get their minds and their families’ safety and health together. It was an act that showed a responsible leader, who thought about the risks of the coming day, and then the need thereafter to put things together and help one another within the home, the day after.
On nationwide TV, the news glared “Suspension of Classes – Benguet (except Baguio City).”
Baguio is in Benguet despite its being a City. I think when it comes to typhoons or calamities concerning Benguet, let’s pool our safety and health together and not be separate. BE a team of leaders working for the people of Benguet, INCLUDING BAGUIO. We live in Baguio but we’re Bengueteños too. Let’s think about this!
I love you Baguio!