RAIN OF FIRE

Doppler radar could have saved many lives
CESAR G. BONILLA

BATAC CITY, Ilocos Norte – Thousands of people have died over the years from mudslides and flooding triggered by heave rainfall in our country. Many of our fellow Filipinos perished in floods in Aurora and another town in Leyte that was buried brought by massive mudslide.

If the government wants to minimize the death toll caused by numerous natural disasters that strike this country every year, it must consider investing in modern equipment. Weather experts have admitted they lacked the capability to give detailed, accurate reading of the amount of rainfall that typhoon would unload due to insufficient equipment.

The information from a Doppler radar that costs about P100 million each could save many lives. But weather experts have admitted the price of the machine is expensive. In an archipelago that is visited by about thirty typhoons and heavy rains from monsoons each year, 10 of such radar equipment are needed. That’s one billion pesos that officials are hesitant in spending on. So the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration has to rely on rainfall and data from satellite images provided by weather trackers in Japan and the United States.

The damage Typhoon Frank did to lives and property could have been avoided if we had such machines. As a result, a ship sunk causing the death of more then eight hundred passengers. As of this moment, the authorities are still investigating to find out what really happened in this latest sea tragedy. ***
This reminds me of the Mt. Pinatubo eruption. After Pinatubo awoke from centuries of slumber and surprised the world with the worst volcanic eruption in nearly a century, Philippine vulcanologists were given more equipment to track volcanic activity. So far the vulcanologists have made good use of the equipment, providing early warning to communities around active volcanoes. These warnings have guided local officials in evacuating endangered areas and saving lives and property.

The eruption of Pinatubo tested the leadership of former President Corazon C. Aquino as other threats of destabilization came from the Left and disgruntled members of the military. But despite this, the President showed firmness of character, strong leadership and greatness of heart.
***
Eliminating violence against women must be the primordial task of the government. Through the country has sent a second woman president to Malacanang, Filipino women of all ages continue to suffer from physical and sexual abuse. The Philippines has passed some of the toughest laws to protect women from violence and other forms of abuse.

But due to low literacy and poverty, many women across the country are unaware of those laws or their rights. Even among educated women who are fully aware of their rights and ways of seeking redress, there is still reluctance to seek protection against spousal abuse. The problem is worse in other parts of the world. According to some experts in psychology and sociology, one out of three women suffers from sexual, physical and other forms of abuse at least one in her lifetime.

Around the world, especially in developing countries, women even pre-pubescent girls continue to be sold for sex. In certain cultures, women have the status of second-class citizens and are to education and livelihood that could make them financially productive and independent. Several countries still do not give women the right to vote and over family wealth and property. Our country has made some progress in promoting welfare of women from all forms of abuse and to advance their moral and spiritual rejuvenation – a hallmark of being a civilized nation. ***
And now, some Batac City tidbits: The City of Batac is well known as the “home of great leaders.” According to Loarca’s survey in 1582, settlements controlled by the Spaniards included Cacaguayan (Batac). Republic Act No. 9407 converted Batac town of Ilocos Norte into a component city. The plebiscite for the cityhood of Batac was then conducted on June 23, 2007.

Before the scheduled plebiscite, cityhood was proposed to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Feb. 19, 2007. It was approved by the President on March 24, 2007 as Republic Act 9407. The General Artemio Ricarte Park which is located at the heart of the city is among its tourist attractions. It was inaugurated in 1993 by former President Fidel Valdez Ramos.

I was there during the said occasion and I saw many well-known personalities led by Ramos, his uncle, the former congressman and war veteran Simeon Marcos Valdez, national figures and veterans of WWII. The Marcos Museum, the ancestral house of the Marcoses in Batac showcases the memorabilia of the late President Marcos.

The Marcos Mausoleum houses the remains of the late President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos which still lies in a refrigerated crypt. His remains have lain here since September 1993. The adjoining sites is location of the the Iglesia Filipina Indipendiente, just a stone throw from Marcos’ residential house, where the remains of the great military vicar and founder of Iglesia Filipina Independiente Fr. Gregorio Aglipay is interred and kept.

General Ricarte is acclaimed as the first chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines during the revolutionary government of President Emilio Aguinaldo. Half of his remains were interred in this town and the other half at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Manila. The Naluptas are included in the helm of greatness who exemplified leadership by example. The son of former mayor and lawyer Jesus Nalupta, Sr. became the first mayor with Batac’s conversion as a city.