6.8 EARTHQUAKE

Early this morning, I received this sms saying that a 6.8 earthquake is predicted by the US GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY in Hawaii to hit Philippine plates tonight, 15 May 2008. Although I do not discount the possibility that the Philippines will experience a strong earthquake sooner or later (our country lies on an earthquake belt), I have some apprehensions about the 6.8 earthquake prediction.

First, I think that the agency in the United States that is considered to be the authority on earthquakes is the US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. This actually is the US counterpart of our very own PHIVOLCS. I did not know that a certain US Geological Society exists.

Second, I took up a few Geology major subjects under my B.S. Geology program at NIGS  and we were taught that nobody can predict earthquake as we can predict storms and typhoons. Hence, this US Geological Society prediction about the 6.8 earthquake is something new to me. I thought that even the most advanced USGS cannot predict earthquakes but here is the US Geological Society predicting not just the occurence of an earthquake but also the time as well as the magnitude of it. If ever the US Geological Society really exists, I believe that the person who started this 6.8 earthquake prediction should be held accountable.

One good thing that this sms brings us, though, is that people are becoming more aware and alert on the possibility of the occurence of a destructive earthquake in the Philippines. Most of us actually might not be aware but since January 2008 until 14 May 2008, the Philippines has experienced more than eighty earhquakes with magnitudes ranging from 1.9 to 6.5 (PHIVOLCS, Latest Earthquake Information, see the list). 

There is no need to panic. Let’s just be more alert and be always prepared because the occurence of a strong, desctructive earthquake in the Philippines is not remote. And, let us all wait for the clarification and announcement from PHIVOLCS officials. 

my own little ways…

Days from now, we will be celebrating Earth Day (April 22). In my own little ways, I think, I am helping in trying to make this Earth a better place to live in. I call on every body to, just even for a day, leave all their "worldly activities" and focus on our Mother Earth…

The following are just examples of how I think I am helping mitigate environmental destruction. I hope that I could add more to these in the coming days.

• Segregate wastes. The Ecological Solid Waste Management Act requires us to do so. In effect, this is not optional but actually mandatory for every individual.

• Go paperless. A lot of trees are cut down just to produce sheets of paper. As much as possible, if and when it is not really necessary to use papers, I would rather not use them. In this age of information technology, offices could easily go paperless. Printing drafts (if and only if necessary) should be made on used sheets of papers. By the way, I abhor this one tv advertisement with a tv host on it for a health care supplement where the tv host continues to crample papers while talking. What a waste!

• Use mass public transport. Important here is the word "mass", which means that taxi cabs should also be avoided. As much as possible, I take jeepneys or FX taxis (n.b. only the legal ones). Although in most instances travelling on a jeepney is very inconvenient, I just think of the higher end why I am doing it.

• Switch off when not in use. Some of us do not realize it, but we still use electricity when our appliances are on a standby mode. Hence, the best way to save is to unplug these appliances. When it comes to the lights, some, I think, have this habit of leaving the lights on even when not in use. It would be safer and cheaper to include in your habit to make an extra effort of reaching the switch and turning off the lights.

• Make gardening a hobby. When I was younger, I used to have a garden in our backyard in the province. I can vividly remember the sense of fulfillment every time I harvested from my garden. Living in Manila for more than a decade now, I started to try and have my own garden. I just have to be more resourceful and creative because I live three storeys above the ground.

• Walk. When travelling on short distances, I prefer to just walk and avoid using motor vehicles. This not only saves me money but also helps me get fit.

others over self

"Walang sinuman ang nabubuhay

Para sa sarili lamang

Walang sinuman ang namamatay

Para sa sarili lamang.

Tayong lahat ay may pananagutan sa isa’t isa

Tayong lahat ay tinipon ng Diyos na kapiling nya…"

-          by Eduardo P. Hontiveros, S.J.

The warm smiles- that’s what Filipinos are known for all around the globe. Hospitality is innate among this race. The Filipino people are fond of taking things lightly. It is seldom that they give in to problems. Taking things lightly has helped them to pass through a series of crisis without being adversely affected- at least emotionally. For another, the Filipinos have always been known for being a believer of a Supreme Being. But beyond the mysticism of the Filipinos, what compose them?

However good being a believer of a Supreme Being is, the tendency to exaggerate things and let the Supreme Being do the things that people are supposed to do have always been the problem among Filipinos. The Filipinos are fond of uttering the phrase "bahala na" which is actually an abridged of "Bathala na". Things are meant what they are supposed to be. Fate, sometimes, decides for most of the Filipinos. The assurance that Someone above would help them go through things has made Filipinos complacent with what happens to them. Belief in a Supreme Being has helped Filipinos go through problems. But over-dependency to the Supreme Being has brought several problems and taken opportunities away from them.

Filipinos are also known for being a disciplined person- that is, when they are in a foreign land. When it comes to their own country, they tend to neglect laws, rules and other regulations. Abroad, they use the pedestrian overpass. They throw litter at the right places. They follow traffic rules. But wait until they come back to their own country. Filipinos in the Philippines seem not to know how to properly dispose even a candy wrapper or a cigarette butt. Some also are more afraid of sweating due to climbing the pedestrian overpasses rather than risking their bodies being hit by rushing vehicles driven by careless drivers. This is the Philippines. These are the Filipinos. Only in the Philippines where Filipinos are disobedient. Abroad, they are among those who follow rules and regulations. 

What virtue is then lacking among the Filipinos? It is the sense of duty and responsibility for the society they belong. This is not to generalize that Filipinos have no sense of duty and responsibility. There are some who are very much considerate and aware that they have responsibilities and duties to perform not just for their own good but for the good of the society as a whole. Inculcating sense of duty and responsibility among the Filipino people is very much needed nowadays where the country is plagued by various problems.

If only the Filipinos have been aware that each of them has a duty to perform, the country could have been more progressive and with lesser problems. The problems that plague the country are, in one way or another, a result of lack of sense of duty to the country. The problem of rapid population growth could have been reduced if the families have been more aware that in bearing a child, they have the responsibility of ensuring that this child’s needs could be well provided for. Likewise, development problems such as waste, pollution, urban blight and environmental degradation could be mitigated if only the people are very much willing to do their part. However, most of the Filipinos are not concerned with what the society can reap from them. They are fascinated more on what he/she can get from the society where he/she belongs. Only few would bother, for instance, to throw garbage at the right place if everybody is throwing garbage everywhere.

If only the Filipinos have been aware that each of them has a responsibility for others, it is certain that the problems in governance, such as corruption, would be lessened. The corrupt leaders and the bureaucrats have little sense of responsibility which makes it easy for them to loot the monies of the people. The people who take corrupt officials for granted and think that nothing can be done to change the system are as corrupt as these leaders and politicians.

Sense of duty and responsibility is more of being aware that each and every Filipino has his/her own part or role to perform in the progress of the country as a whole. This as a virtue which encompasses all other significant virtues necessary from the individual level up to the societal level. Awareness of the role to perform means a more considerate individual. In this sense, self-discipline is achieved where the individual is cognizant of the situations of others and not just think of themselves. The very popular "Filipino time" concept in the country is due to lack of consideration to what negative effects such being late could have to others. Self-discipline in this sense is part of having sense of duty and responsibility to attend to things on time.

In sense of duty and responsibility, other virtues sprout. Each one of us has duty to perform for our Creator. Each one of us has a duty and responsibility to take care of our families. But sense of duty and responsibility should not stop there. It should lead further to a more general level where we have duties and responsibilities for people we don’t even know. If that level is achieved where we are openly willing to perform tasks for people we are not affiliated with or would not accrue us direct benefits, the society where we belong would be a society which is not dysfunctional. Having sense of duty and responsibility leads to love of fellowmen and country because such virtue emphasizes being considerate for the needs of others.

Most of the Filipinos live their lives as if these are not part of a larger whole where other people are participating in. Private interests occupy most of the thinking of the people. But this should not be the case. As what the lines of the song "Pananagutan", as quoted above, we live not for ourselves. We are part of a society which needs us to perform our respective role. The old adage "no man is an island" aptly describes what the song would want us to realize. Another line from a famous American President also provides a very definitive explanation of what a sense of duty and responsibility is- "ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country".

Only when others over self is inculcated to the minds of the Filipinos that a true development of the country can be attained. Only when the Filipinos ask what they can do for their country and not what their country can do for them that the country’s economic development would be sustained. Only when the Filipinos become aware that they have a "pananagutan" to their fellowmen and to their country that  the country could have a just and compassionate society. Only when a sense of duty and responsibility is inculcated among the Filipinos.

Of loosing a home…

I know a fellow who lost his home.

Many years ago, he painstakingly looked for a perfect home. And he was blessed to have one. The place actually made him feel that he found the right one. People came in and out of his home. He’s just thankful to have them. These people were actually so close to his heart that he could not let them feel unwelcome.

Suddenly, just out of nowhere, he just felt that his home had left him. Although the same structure was there, the same people were there, the same smiles were there, and even the same tears were there, the warmth was lost. Suddenly, he felt that the house that actually welcomed him with open arms had then become his adversary. It made him feel like he’s being forced to abandon the place. He just found out that the place, which had been his sanctuary for so long, had become his own place of insecurity. He could not relax and unwind anymore. The place had become so filled with angst and hypocrisy. It had become a witness to indifference, ambivalence, and selfishness.

The place, which used to be his home, had left him with no choice. He did not know how it happened. He just felt that he had to go. He did go.

And he has found a new home…