We cannot help but ask this question because apparently the people in some of the provinces and cities in Mindanao have been suffering from the wrath of nature for almost half a month now. Yes, this wrath in terms of endless flood that started devastating several places in this Southern island of the
country shortly before Christmas Day last year.
The sins must be so major because if not then the Creator could have put a cap as to the duration of the disaster. But no, as of this writing the flood water in areas affected remains deep in residential as well as agricultural places. So deep is the flood water and so strong the current that all that stand on its way are destroyed – houses, commercial buildings, crops and even infrastructures like bridges and highway are no match to water’s rage.
While there are places one of them Davao City, that are spared from the disaster still it is hard to
imagine that while those unaffected are lying on their dry beds at night undisturbed and moving around
with gusto because there are no flood to confront, scenes in the flooded provinces and cities are too
disturbing to the eyes. Scenes in the flooded areas like rescue personnel risking their own lives so others
may live; babies and old people loaded in damaged refrigerators so they could be brought to safe
location. All these are not easy to strip in the minds of non-flood victims.
It is even hurting to see those already in evacuation centers suddenly wading in hip deep water
because the sites are reached by the raging murky flood water. And they are again re-evacuated to safer
grounds or centers to the point that their being moved to the already full capacity evacuation facilities
creates a sardines-like congestion.
And what a pitiful sight to see evacuees begging for food or eating the usual porridge, noodles and
biscuits just to temper their gnawing hunger.
Really it pains us to the core to see all those heart-breaking sights of suffering by our fellow
Mindanaoans. We could only wish that the Almighty will absolve those concerned Mindanaoans of their
sins – or whare=ver they have committed againsta His will – and start easing down on the degree of
punishment that He had heaped on his sinful believers.
Of course we know that the sinners are not necessarily the people in Mindanao. The worst sins may
have been committed by those who destroyed the global environment. Yes, the more developed
countries, without doubt, are the real culprits. The Filipino industrialists in the past and present though,
have their share in the attack on nature. The loggers in the early fifties to the late seventies and early
eighties; they raped our forest. The miners both bigtime and supposedly small ones, they took turns in
scraping our mountains and creating a hornets nest-similar underground situation. But it is already too
late when they started talking of rehabilitating what they have destroyed.
Of course the wealth they have accumulated in all the years of their abuse allows them to build their
residential houses in places beyond the reach of flood water; own penthouses in high-rise
condominiums here and abroad.
And who are now suffering from the wrath of nature’s revenge? The people who live within the
immediate vicinity of their abandoned logging and mining concessions; the economy of the places they
supposedly helped developed physically but actually destroyed, after all.
If at all Mindanaoans have indeed sinned against the Almighty and the nature He built eons ago, it
may be their having condoned the abuse of nature’s real destroyers believing that what they did will
someday benefit them and their families.
Unfortunately these people are now the ones suffering from the brunt of their misjudgment of
things.
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Here we are again harping on this particular issue. That is, for our local lawmakers (councilors) to
possibly craft an ordinance –main or amendatory to an existing one if the city has any – requiring
applicants for new poultry or swine farms operation or renewal thereof, to put up what we call bio-
fence. It is a layer of trees planted in the entire perimeter of the farm that once they grow the trees
become natural fence to block the odor emitted from the waste of either chicken or hogs, as well as
prevent the hordes of flies from escaping the usual application of chemicals inside the farm every after
harvest season.
The trees normally absorb the emitted carbon dioxide and will block the flies from going out of the
compound and invade the houses in the immediate community.
Our interest on this was again resurrected when we heard complaints of residence in Sinuwal,
General Santos City aired over GMA’s Regional News last Wednesday afternoon.
The same complaints were lodged with the City Council of Davao over and over again. There were
short term solutions but not one could possibly have a long term effect.
Thus, we are making a challenge to the new Council for possibly taking action and working on the
viability of including the putting up of a bio-fence as a must for those who are or would want to be into
the poultry or hog raising business.
As of now however, the councilors are as silent as lambs.
