Catharsis

This time last year, the Clairvoyant and I were watching a movie on DVD in the comforts of our living room while not being mindful of the rains that poured outside. I had earlier awaken to see that there was a slight flooding on the road and immediately arranged the parking of our cars so that no vehicle will be on the curbside and in danger of being partially submerged. It was, after all, not an easy task to take a car for detailing particularly when the floor carpets are drenched. At the time, we also assumed (later to regret it) that the flood will be typical of the worst we've experienced in the village. That is, the waters will not reach our garage. Little did we know that it was already the manifestation of an inundation never before experience in Metro Manila and its adjoining areas. The Marikina Valley and Rizal towns in particular would be submerged in unprecedented water and mud.

That was last year and a year after we could only hope that a lot of the lessons learned in the deluge have resulted in better preparedness not just for rescues but for infrastructure as well. I am not comfortable knowing that heavy rains in the last few weeks have resulted in flash floods including in our village. A lot of cities and municipalities conspicuously have not addressed drainage or flood infrastructure concerns often seeming to dismiss Ondoy's rains and floods as things occurring only every 50 years. And many village associations choose to be in denial of the fact that Metro Manila's and other cities' drainage systems are inferior and unsuitable for rains to be expected from weather systems attributed to climate change. Such attitude and treatment is only an invitation to further disasters, many just waiting to happen.

And so here I am in another city that was ravaged by floods by another typhoon (Frank) and has learned its lessons well enough for the city to build a floodway and improve its drainage to prevent another disaster. Iloilo holds a special place in my heart most especially since it is a city I've visited so often during my childhood and it is in the province which I consider home. Cabatuan town, where the airport is located, is my father's hometown. And I have spent a lot of time there as a child and a teenager there during the summer break, with the occasional visits to the city with my cousins. Those summer vacations were always opportunities to recharge my batteries after a year in school and I enjoyed the laid back atmosphere and welcomed the sounds of the rural life including chickens serving as my alarm clock every morning, and crickets and geckos announcing bedtime at night.

It felt reassuring that the weather here in Iloilo was terrific the past few days. Never mind that there was not enough free time except maybe this morning to go around the city to take photos here and there. Perhaps I shall visit again soon but not on official business but for leisure. It's been a while since I last recharged my batteries here like when did in my younger years but I guess that will again have to wait for the right time. I will just have to be content that my visits here have provided me with the change in environment that I wanted to stave off the onset of burn-out that I have been feeling the last few days. A change in pace is always good and Iloilo never failed to provide me that break I needed.