THE rain wasn’t heavy, as predicted earlier, yesterday, at least in the south of Cebu province. When the bus I was in passed by the South Road Properties, I looked out to the sea expecting gigantic waves because of Samuel. The sea was generally calm. I even espied a “baroto” there, which only meant that even the small sea vessels would dare sail under that weather condition.
But I won’t begrudge government officials for the preparation. It is not often that a storm is projected to pass by Cebu province. I didn’t have to worry about my children when classes were suspended—and that’s good. Being at home is better than being out there even if school is supposedly their second home. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
I reckon the thousands of people stranded when the Coast Guard prevented ships from leaving Cebu wouldn’t complain either. The seas may look calm between Cebu and Mactan island, but who knows what the situation is farther out there? I remember my years of going to and from the Camotes group of islands from the Cebu mainland when I was younger. By then, I learned not to take the weather for granted.
It was also during that time when I learned the meaning of the Cebuano word “bukana,” which was more like the gate to the open sea. When the sky was overcast, old hands would tell me to look at the “bukana,” which was somewhere near the tip of the island of San Francisco visible from Poro town where boats were docked. The waves were bigger out there without any island to block the rough winds.
Which brings back memories of the one and only time I went to Limasawa islands in Leyte together with media people selected by then Customs district collector David Odilao, who is from there. We rode on his yacht, motorized but not that big, from the Cebu port to the sea near Bohol then finally to Leyte. A boat from Limasawa guided our way ahead of us.
The weather wasn’t good that day and I thought everyone of us were worried--even Odilao’s guests, a Caucasian couple. The waves were big and the man that steered the boat apparently lacked experience in that situation. Odilao had to shout to him the instruction on when to slow down and when to go fast so we wouldn’t capsize and we would be able to ride the waves.
And then the open sea when we crossed near the Leyte mainland to Limasawa, which is facing the Pacific Ocean. We couldn’t go straight as the waves got bigger, so too our guide’s boat started swerving. I was experienced riding pumpboats traveling to Camotes when I was younger but those waves were the biggest that I saw.
Suffice it to say, we made it through and the return trip days later wasn’t as challenging with the weather turning from bad to good. When you are in a group, a trip is better enjoyed in that situation with the talk and the jokes. That’s why I like it when the sea is calm and the water surface looks like it is topped with oil.
By the way, even if yesterday’s rain wasn’t heavy it was continuous, which is dangerous for people living near fragile slopes. Strong winds, storm surges, rain, etc. There should be no complacency when the weather turns bad. Again, it is better to be safe than sorry.