The weather bureau issued the warning last week. The El Nino phenomenon could last all the way to the first or second quarter of next year.
The government said contingency plans were already in place to deal with possible shortage of food and water but we had heard that so many times before, and every time, the beneficial effects did not reach us members of the hoi polloi. Or that the plans failed and we were like sitting ducks helplessly suffering the consequences. So it is better for us to assume that nothing is being done at all by government and we are better off preparing on our own. If some benefit will miraculously trickle down to us as a result of the much ballyhoed plans, well and good.
The main features of El Nino are drought and high temperatures. Already, a big news the other day was Butuan City’s sizzling at 47 degrees Celsius. For sure it was a killer. Nothing was said though about deaths as a result from heatstroke or illnesses that could have been triggered.
The problem will surely roast us in the coming months as it will result in lack of food and water.
Expectedly the government will again look like it was caught flatfooted. As if it never knew about the impending problems.
So it is better to take matters into our hands. Let us save on food. Even if there will be recurrent blackouts spoiling food in refrigerators, there are still those that can be stored for the future. Rice and corn, for instane, can last for a long time, also seeds like beans and lentils. Dried meats, fish and other foods whose preservation were mastered by people over the centuries like the etag, kiniiing, tengba, bagoong, tuyo, etc., will come in handy when the cupboards are low and the prospect of scrounging for food would be imminent.
While indeed we can do some self-help, indications are that we will later be asking the same questions: What did the government do to assure that there will be food to buy when we go to the supermart or the public market? Or was it the same “bahala na” attitude?
Governments should not rely on such attitude. Otherwise, the people there, our officials, should resign from their posts. People with brains should replace them. If not, a popular revolution will surely ensue or, at the very least, would start to brew in a more intense way. Far more effective than the likes of social unrests we have seen before or are seeing now.**