COMELEC registration youth friendly

CEBU, Philippines - The elections set on May 13 next year are fast approaching with less than eight months to go. However, not all qualified youth have registered to become voters.

There a lot of reasons they do not submit themselves to registration.

"I can't register in Cebu," says Michael James Quidilla, a 22-year-old graduating civil engineering student. Quidilla originally comes from Zamboanga City but has been residing in Cebu City for almost five years.

"Where I'm going is undetermined. So I do not know where to register," adds Quidilla who is choosing between both cities for career opportunities.

Quidilla is just one of the few youths aged 18 to 27 who can vote for the 2013 election but has refused to register.

"The process to register is very easy," says Juluis Nahuman, a registration officer at the Municipality of Consolacion Commission on Elections (Comelec) office.

According to Nahuman, one must just be 18 years of age on or before election day, a resident in the barangay for six months and must have a valid identification (ID) card. If an ID is not present, one may present a police clearance, social security system ID, National Bureau of Investigaion ID or driver's license.

Comelec has even made it easier for those who do not have an ID. They only need to bring a registered voter in the municipality who would vouch for the identity of the applicant as a resident of the said barangay.

Three are only three steps to take when registering. Just present any valid ID and Comelec will give you a white form to fill out. Have your picture taken and wait for the acknowledgement receipt that you have registered.

Nahuman said that voting is easy since we will still be using the automated system for the election.

However, there will be a delay in receiving the voter's ID card.

"Ang COMELEC sa Intramuros, Manila ang mo print ana (The Comelec in Intramuros, Manila will print it), says Nahuman. Due to the millions of applicants and limited resources, the voter's IDs might be released the following year after the election.

But new applicants should not worry because any local Comelec office can print a voter's certification.

"This is to certify that he/she is registered in the municipality," says Nahuman who added that the certification can suffice for a voter's ID. Yet this is not needed to vote. One must just make sure that his/her name is on the precinct list of registered voters on election day.

John Destacamento, 21 and a registered voter at Medellin town, commended the new process for registration.

"The registration process itself kay dali pero it could mean a long wait pod especially if daghan ang magparegister kanang toward the end sa registration period (The registration process itself is fast but it could mean a long too especially if there a lot of applicants towards the end of the registration period.)," he said.

Nahuman says to make things easier, do not lose the acknowledgement receipt after registering at any local Comelec office.

"Relax, automated man ang election ron. Ayos ang imong experience, ma-thrill ka pero mapuno pod ka og singot ana (Relax, the elections are automated. You're experience will be okay, you will be thrilled but you will be filled with sweat)," Nahuman said.

Because I am a girl

The 5-year old version of me isn’t exactly alike as the 19-year-old you see today. I used to be a little stout girl with hair held up in pony tails.

Well, I wasn’t just stout. I was fat and round, round as a ball. To put this description into context, I once bumped into one of my classmates and his front teeth fell off!

 My childhood was a living hell as bullies teased me left and right. I was labeled as “baboy” or “baboy ramo nga naka buhi sa tangkal” for every waking day of my preschool life. Things got out of hand when they ruined my project just because I was that. Being the little girl I was, I looked at my fists and realized that they weren’t intended to fight so I simply cried, just like daddy’s little girl, waiting for my hero to save me.

To cut the story short, I was forced to go on a diet after that dreadful instance just to spare myself from another round of humiliation.

Looking back at my life as a little girl, my womanhood today whispers the word fight if I could only talk to her.

No, I wouldn’t want her to start a brawl in preparatory school. What would be left of her? I meant the fight for the right to be who I was supposed to be. Not some Barbie doll.

What we should be fighting for are girls’ rights, a call for gender equality even amongst children aged 17 and below.

There are gender stereotypes in the different cultures of the world. One very common is long hair for girls and a clean cut for boys. If one crosses over the other, then say goodbye to your school or prepare for a reprimand from the principal. It even gets worse in other countries where girls are only to stay at home while boys are sent to school. 

There are cultures that do not issue birth certificates for girls. With no supporting documents of their identity, they are at high risk of trafficking. These girls are usually limited to helping mom at home while their brother goes out to play with other boys.

I was once deprived of the hit gaming console back then, which was coincidentally named as gameboy. The rationale was it was a game for boys.

In a recent immersion with an international organization advocating girls’ rights, I come to realize the significance of gender equality. What more to make its impact more strong than to start with young girls. Even a simple bullying story could not be forgotten until the adolescence, it can even traumatize.

Children may be the hope of tomorrow but how do we make this hope a living spark if they are not even at par with each other? Boys too, should learn the rights that girls have and how society has ordained the norms for boys and girls.

They say that this generation has been topsy-turvy because of the call for equality? But I daresay that this is the way to straighten things out and end oppression. It may be too deep but it is true.

So to the 5-year-old me, I’d tell those bullies that I have rights too because I am a girl.

 ** Published in the Freeman newspaper on October 23, 2012

Dancesports, what is it?

Eli Maricuelo and partner

CEBU, Philippines - When talking about sports, there is no denying that one would only think about physical strength and endurance, such as basketball, volleyball, badminton, etc. There may be some that require mental abilities like chess and scrabble. Dancesports, however, stands out from the rest. Aside from the physical, it requires the mind to be conscious of the beat.

Dancesports is a form of competitive ballroom dancing by the ability of a person to dance. It has two categories: Modern Standard and Latin. Modern Standard consists of foxtrot, waltz and quickstep. For the later, it is comprised of chachacha, rhumba and jive. It is judged according to the steps, smoothness of movements and projection.

In our local setting, dancesports has been trending not just in a mere school intramural competition but even in the Cebu City Olympics and bigger competitions out of the area. Eli John Maricuelo, a member of the Dancesports Cebu team, and Louise Maree Velasquez, a dancesporter at heart, believe in the sport so much.

Velasquez during the city olympics unit meet

Some say that dancesports isn't a "sport" per se because of the elements of dance and music which are unusual. However, Eli said, "Of course it is considered a sport because everything in our body is working. It requires self discipline and an attitude to maintain just like any other sport." Louise added, "The amount of practice and hard work is equal to the other forms of sport."

True enough, dance sports requires physical skills such as body coordination, speed and flexibility. It isn't a joke practicing night after night with dancing shoes, they both narrated, not forgetting the use of the mind. There are so many things to consider such as song choice, music timing, steps, costume and make-up.

When asked what pushed them to pursue this sport, Eli answered "My mother was the one who introduced me to dancesport even if dancing was never on my mind. You rarely come across guys who dance in this field." As for Louise, "It was my family from Cebu Normal University - Integrated Laboratory School (CNU-ILS) who pushed me to join. No one was there to represent the unit for the City Olympics so, after much convincing, I did it but I had no regrets afterwards."

By no regrets she meant it was her door to dancing and dancesport. After representing the 5th unit in the Cebu City Olympics last 2007, she continued until her last year in high school and up to the university now. Same goes with Eli who started out the Mandaue School for the Arts (MCSFA) who has now gone a long way from school-based competitions to national ones.

Eli competes for the modern standard category while Louise is more inclined to Latin. Yet, because of their love for dancing and the sport, both are flexible to dance other categories.

One does not only gain trophies and medals in dancesports. "I gained self-discipline and the right attitude during my years of training," says Eli. "It helped me to set my priorities straight," added Louise. Just like any other sport, it has its own benefit not just for oneself. It builds a partnership between the couple who will be performing.

"The amount of practice and hard work is equal to any other sport"

Dancesport isn't like any ordinary sport. It is a combination of a dance and a sport, as the name implies. No, it does not take a ball or a field to define dance as a sport. It is more than recognitions and routines. Just like Yayee and Eli, who believe in the truth that no matter how people would want to deny it, dancesport will always be a sport. (FREEMAN)

Waffle Memories

               What is the typical Filipino breakfast? A fried dish and a sunny side egg on the side. Add coffee and it’s the perfect combination.

Somehow, waffles and coffee go well together too. Well maybe for people on-the-go when there is no time to hit the brakes for a breakfast.

When I was in high school, I had an on-the-go lifestyle. When the clock strikes six, students race to the university to get a first hand at submitting assignments or else you are at risk of losing precious points.

This, however, led me to the most heavenly waffle on earth. It had no brand name. It was on a simple aluminum cart with the price pasted on the glass lining. It was at twelve bucks a piece. Seems like a fair good deal.

When students were rushing to get their good fates, manang was busy making waffles for those who wish to catch a quick breakfast. She would pour the batter on the special molder. Manong, on the other hand, waits for customers as he reads the everyday paper.

Every day I drop by and make sure I hand them my twelve pesos in exchange for a brown paper bag filled with goodness. I wasn’t the only one. Teachers and school workers also had the same routine. The waffles were selling like pancakes.

I breathe the familiar scent of the batter as the smoke rises from the molder. The almost inaudible sound of the brush as butter is painted on the waffle completes the masterpiece. I inhale in for the last time before sealing the bag. Then I bid my thank you to manang and manong before entering the university.

Sometime in my four years, they were featured by the university’s school paper. It said that their marriage made them stronger as their main source of income was the waffles. In fact, it has sent their children to finish degrees in premier universities in Cebu. They narrated that they used to push their waffle cart around downtown, in strategic areas where schools are near. But because of their old age, they wanted to station in a university so dear to them – Cebu Normal University (CNU).

But after our 2010 graduation, I never saw manang and manong again. I never took the time to say goodbye.

Now that I have come a long way since those childish years, I wanted to pay both of them a visit. This time, with twenty four pesos in my hands. I was ready to give the other piece to my colleagues in UP, to brag of their blissful waffle.

I approached the cart and saw another person brushing the waffles. I questioned.

 He said months after we said goodbye to CNU’s walls, manong passed away because of a long time disease. This left manang alone in their waffle business. But manang didn’t want to risk her arthritis. It would be hard for her especially that her partner is not with her anymore.

Tears fell. I never said goodbye and my final thank you.

I could have said, “Thank you manang, you make the best waffle in town.” I never even had the chance to get their names. All this time I call them manang and manong.

It was a friendship left, a hanging marriage.

They could have spent the last moments together at the newly opened senior citizen’s park. They could have enjoyed the company of fellow elderly without having to think about the business that kept them running. It was a beautiful project they could have made the most of.

It could have been a bit better.

Sooner or later, we’ll age and evolve from waffles to scrambled eggs in the luxury of my own home.

But for now, I’d gladly take a waffle bite and say, “Thank you manang and manong for making the best waffles in town”.

**Published in The Freeman Newspaper on October 16, 2012

Zombie-fying hellweek

A student’s life is centered on quizzes, assignments, projects and exams. Yes, exams. Say hello, to finals week, second day.

For many of us students, every hour counts to study.

I have always been a study freak even since grade school.  I preferred to study alone in my room. Now that college requirements require a lot of group work and eventually group discussion, I have been exposed to various styles of studying.

For one, there are those who are home buddies. They prefer to stay within the comforts of one’s home where everything is within reach. There are also coffee maniacs who would want to study out in cafés and coffee shops. They say it spares them from the temptation of falling asleep in one’s bed. The last style is to study at the university library.

I used to be this one when our one and only library was still open. It was such a wonder being in one room filled with books. On a seat near the big windows, overlooking a side of the city.

Now it just too difficult especially that we have been zombie-fied.

A common jargon circulating around in the University of the Philippines (UP) community since time immemorial is “Hell week.”

It is a noun pertaining to the “bloodiest week” of the semester. It is full of requirements to pass, reports to do and exams if any. This is usually the week before the scheduled finals week. Finals week in UP is not that hellish since some professors prefer to finish their course early.

If I were to compare the week to a movie, I cannot.  It is worse than Saw III but comforting and enjoyable as the 3 Idiots’ “Aal iz well” mantra. You cannot take a long pause. If you do, you’d suffer. A quick break is acceptable though. But anything more than that would throw you out of the game.

The term is also applicable to the finals week itself where the exams are sometimes bloodier.

I first heard of hell week when I was in my freshman year. I thought it was only some kind of expression. The conservatives even condoned me for using the word hell. They say it’s inappropriate, negative and for some reason, unlucky.

Luckily though, I was able to survive the most grueling battle in college for four semesters. I accepted the challenge of no sleeping and at times no eating just to get the work done. Every hell week was a game on.

Because of social media’s pervasiveness, the jargon has spread to other universities as well. They use the term Hell Week for their own versions as well.

There may be major differences because of UP’s culture but the common denominator really is school work.

However zombie-fied we may be, we students do not forget the concept of fun.

We have fun on social media as the world went dark in support of the anti cybercrime law. The feeds were flooded with shares and retweets of possible incidents when the law would be truly enforced.

When it would be serious, I wonder where the fun would go. Maybe there would still be fun in the company of our own comrades. The real world is full of mates that you cannot choose.

May be we would go back to being zombies. No sleep, no eating, and add to that no speaking as well or posting online, for that matter.

Yet, the end is sweet for all of us students who burn our eyebrows for the future.

I just hope when I wear my ecru dress topped with a maroon alibata sash, I am zombie-fied no more.

**Published in the Freeman Newspaper on October 9, 2012

Easy as one, two and three

Before I reached legal age, I told my friends that I would waive my right to vote.

The controversies faced by the politicians made it easy for me to gloat. I thought there was no point in voting. Anyway, the same dynasty would still sit on the throne.

But now that I am truly qualified to enjoy suffrage, I wave hysterically at the thought of saying no.

The women's fight for suffrage in our country was not an easy battle. It required marching and shouting on the streets demanding the exact privilege as that of men. The 20s was a time of gender discrimination. I couldn't see any difference between a male and a female intellectually. They are both citizens of the country. Why deny them the right to choose people who would equally represent them in governance?

The fight was victorious as we can see today. But this does not mean that we would take for granted the blood and sweat poured by the women heroes at that time just to fight for suffrage. 

Yes, the amendment pushed through and the wrong notion of not having women in politics has been changed. It was a success indeed. That is why it does not give me enough reason to withdraw from the privilege of choosing the next set of leaders.

Declining would only make things worse. Instead of giving one count to a deserving person, the vote would only go to waste. The fostering of apathy would only make other Filipinos follow. Now the waste is not just mine.

Election time would also be a good step to show the wiser ones that the young cannot be persuaded by their mischievous tricks. At 15, I declined an envelope from a Sagguniang Kabataan party during the October 2010 elections. I know the candidates weren't to blame, those behind them were. Again, a sad reality of how the young are taught by the older generation.

A couple of bucks can be so tempting especially to one who relies on a meager allowance. But dignity could not be replaced by any amount. It is said that those who pay to win do not trust themselves because he or she has to buy votes in order to win.

And so with all these reflections, I recently volunteered to submit myself for registration at the COMELEC office at our municipal hall. I was ready to stand up for hours and fight grumbling office staff who would not understand what I want.

Lo and behold, the process was easy.

It only took my identification card to do wonders. A form was given and I religiously filled it out. Once done, I sat to have my picture taken. To seal the deal, I imprinted both of my thumb marks on the same form and accepted my acknowledgement receipt. I only spent 20 minutes for the entire historical benchmark of my life.

This improvement would entice new applicants and inactive voters who have changed status or residences. There is no problem with the registration. The big challenge is on the election itself. Who will garner the largest votes? Will there be flying voters again? Will the dead still be listed on the official list of voters? Lastly, will automation make things easier?

We cannot answer those questions now. But, as for the voter registration stage, I'd have to say that yes, the claims are true. Signing up to be a registered voter is easy as one, two, and three.

**Published in The Freeman Newspaper on October 2, 2012

Birthday wishes and more

I was once asked about the origin of the song “Happy Birthday to You” and who was the “you” being referred to by the composer.

I responded with a shrug, and said it was intended for everybody.

The friend shook his head and said I was wrong. He said it was for Jan-jan. With a puzzled look on my face the friend explained by making beats with his hands while singing, “janjaranjanjan…. Happy Birthday to You!”

Wow, lucky Jan-jan, whoever he is. He got to be sung to even in our jokes.

A birthday is the most exciting day for a person every year. Aside from the parties and gifts (which eventually die down as you age by the way), is a marker of yet another year in the world. It reminds us of our privilege to still be part of the present era, where digitalization is the trend and that somehow we are still here to fulfill a mission.

I find birthdays very exciting too. My fetish for my natal day led me to counting down the days before it actually happens. I mentally plan how it will go, what will I receive and who will I spend the day with. Of course, not all plans always push through. But for the heck of it, I visualize well to feed my pleasure.

I spent nine years celebrating my birthday in McDonalds. Yes, nine years dancing with Ronald McDonald. It spawned my attachment to the fast food chain, even if I am now an adult.

With every lit candle blown, I make a wish for my whole year. This year there were no candles to blow, no cake to slice. There was milk tea to feast on and some nachos to bring the house down. Despite the absence of the symbolic flame, deep inside I made a wish hoping that the next year would be kind enough to fulfill my wish. Well make that wishes, I could accommodate more.

If you ask what they are, I couldn’t really tell you. The jinx master might just be around the corner. What I can share though, is a vision of what the next year for me will be.

It was said during The Freeman’s forum last week that the Senate is working on the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill. There are high chances that it will be passed into a law next year before the elections.

When this is passed, I see a very democratic and systematic way of getting the information we need, not only for journalists, but for all Filipinos who needs certain information from the government.

Maybe in the next year too, the children of the next generation would be very cautious when it comes to using gadgets and the social media. I can foresee that the campaign on responsible social media networking would bear its fruit.

In a US study, there are over five million children on Facebook. Why so? This is because the site is an avenue for them to talk to their friends and family members. As for a college student like me, we use social media sites for academic purposes and entertainment, as well. Social media is also becoming a venue for corporate communication.

Also, I hope that in the following months, we would be getting a fresh slate of elected officials. 2013 is such a crucial year for the Filipinos as we choose who will lead us for the halfway mark of Aquino’s presidency.

But we cannot really tell what is in store for us in the coming year. Maybe Jan-jan does.

**Published in the Freeman newspaper on September 25, 2012

Nursing Cebu's pride

CEBU, Philippines - The released results of this year's Nursing Licensure Examination (NLE) made Cebu gleam with pride as Cebu Normal University (CNU) made it as a top performing school with a hundred percent passing rate and 12 topnotchers.

What makes it more incredible is the presence of a 2nd placer!

Erika Pino is just like any other CNU nursing student. She graduated from Mactan National High School in 2008 with the hope of becoming a registered nurse someday.

In college, she was one of the many who struggled to get a passing mark in any given exam.

"I also whined about school, duties and responsibilities," she said noting, that she is just like the rest. However, she learned how to do her best especially when in a difficult situation because nursing at CNU is a tough life.

When she graduated, she knew she was equipped to be the nurse CNU trained her to be, but this didn't make her any confident to take the board exam.

"I studied harder than before; I prayed the hardest in my life," Pino narrated her preparations for the exam. She reviewed at Powerhouse Training and Review Center.

It was her family, friends and mentors who kept her going despite the difficulty in review classes. Her parents most especially were the people who drove her to success and she can't thank them enough.

"They inspire me to be the best I can possibly be," Pino added

Her achievement, however, was not something she expected.

"I could not understand how I feel although at the top of my mind, I feel happy. Happy not only for myself but for those who believed in me," she said.

Passing and topping the board are only a few of the things she wanted to do in life. Now that she has done it, she wants to try other things, too.

"I'm in a crossroad right now, but with God's grace I know I will find my way," she explained with hope.

Pino also wants the next set of nursing students to believe in God as she did herself. "We (Philippines) are facing challenges such as the big number of Registered Nurses. However, trust in God and your dreams will come true.

Erika Pino is just one of the many nursing topnotchers who have given pride to Cebu.

With the growing number of registered nurses but few hospitals, it is their challenge to give whatever they can contribute to the betterment of the country.

**Published in the Freeman newspaper on September 15, 2012

Easier to say 'Whatever'

CEBU, Philippines - There is a difference between ug and og in the conversational Cebuano. There is even a proper way to spell the equivalent of star. Is it bituon or bitoon?

It took me a while to figure out what these meant in the Cebuano language. What's worse is the absence of people who could teach me the proper way to say things. I get confused with how Cebuano words are spelled and spoken. No wonder it is more comfortable to speak the lingua franca.

The spoken Cebuano language is rarely praised for its beauty. I walk downtown and see products labeled with Chinese characters. The road signs are in English. The songs blasting from the videoke players are inTagalog. Where has the identity of the Cebuanos gone?

Long ago, we were well-versed in poetry and literature. I am studying Cebuano literature in college and I am amazed by the creativity of our forefathers. Entertainment long ago was not composed of a big screen and popcorn. Their entertainment revolved solely around their ability to create verses about their simple life.

There were poems intended for the gods (harito), riddles (tigmo), and a poem for a lonely sailor out at sea (saloma). What kept them awake during funerals were verse contests, not mahjong or tong-its.

All my life, I have been speaking a language which we do not really own. The wonders of Cebuano were kept from me even in childhood. I grew up to be an English-speaking child. At home or in school, I was required to speak in English. If not, I was subject to punishment.

I felt like I was robbed of my true identity. I was born and raised in Cebu, without even knowing what makes a Cebuana. Or worse, how tospeak in Cebuano. It was only in college when I was introduced to Cebuano, and the proper way of speaking and writing it. For 16 years prior to college, I found myself submitting to western culture. I grew up shunning anything native.

I am not alone in this plight. Majority of the youth these days do not know the mere difference between ug and og. Why would it matter? It is so easy to say "and" or "a" in English. More so, it is easier to say "whatever" than find the right words.

But the language is part of our culture. No matter how hard we try to eradicate our words from our own vocabularies, Cebuano blood runs through us. There is a gap that needs to be filled otherwise it will be totally lost.

The Cebuano language is in decline. We are trying so hard to speak Englishwhen we do have our own language. No, Cebuano is not bakya or baduy. It is an indicator that you know who you really are, and not trying to be someone else.

We have too much of a colonial mentality when we can move forward with our own. Our only hope lies in continuing to search for the pieces that would fill the gap missing in Cebuano culture in this generation.

By the way, we say ug for "and" and og for "a" or "an". 

**Published in the Freeman newspaper on September 18, 2012

To Martial Law

The story has been told and tried to be forgotten by the Filipino people. This story has pained the nation and taught us to rise again. Yet, no matter how hard we try to bury the memories of the past we cannot forget that sometime during the month of September in 1972, we were robbed of freedom.

This isn’t sarcasm but thanks a lot, Martial Law.

I was not born yet when it happened. I only heard the endless stories of raids, closures, confiscations, incarcerations and tortures. They were all very unjust, some were even unreasonable. It was as if we were their robots and a single failure meant termination of the machine. But we weren’t, we were humans after all.

I could only imagine the rights that were trampled on and the words that were silenced. There was nothing to say, unless you spoke of them, their family and their prominence. If you did that during that time, you were saved from every possible punishment.

For a long period, the press submitted to the authoritarian rule of the dictator who only wanted to look good to the public and to the world.

But the press weren’t as shallow as that. We knew who we are and what we deserve. It was freedom, press freedom. I cannot fathom the stories between the Martial Law regime and the press that were written and told for many years.

However, the more I heard, the more I realized how it taught us to be great.

Press Freedom was robbed, yes. But this didn’t stop the press from giving information that the Filipino nation needed. Inquisitive and intuitive as we are, we found ways like we always do.

It was then that the alternative press rose. Xerox Journalism and Tape journalism surfaced.

My teacher once narrated her experience in smuggling Xerox copies of statements from Cebu to Cagayan, praying that with each checkpoint by the military she won’t be arrested. She said she was willing to give up her fear just to get the message across.

The media knew what agenda to set back then. That’s how media works according to great communication theorists such as McCombs and Shaw.

That is why it is out of the question why the Filipinos responded in a very patriotic manner when the news broke out.

The instruction was to go to EDSA. They prayed, they waited and they won. With the people’s hands gripped tightly together with sweat dripping from their foreheads, the dictatorship tumbled down. The people rose, hence the term “people power.”

They mayhem didn’t only happen in Manila, it was in Cebu, too. There are countless stories of the hardships the Cebuanos and the Cebu media went through. We are just as privileged as them to have our press freedom back. Media’s connection to democracy is a thick solid line that nobody can steal again.

As a young writer enjoying this space and sharing my stories to you, there is much I owe to those who fought for freedom.

And so, as this week has been filled with forums and programs that the media industry is busy about, we remember the time of the year where we celebrate the victory and the sweet fight. We commemorate the story of how we were robbed of a gem and how we acquired it again. Today we see the democracy that we now enjoy after years of struggle. To answer why we celebrate press freedom week, the whole story is the answer.

So thank you once again, Martial law. For the lessons learned and the stories to share.

More than cats and dogs

The sun was scorching hot, typically for a tropical country like the Philippines. It was a school day, and I was in casual clothes. I pulled out my umbrella to protect myself from the heat and crossed the street to attend class in the other building. On the way back after the class, rain poured. It poured so hard, that, saying “it’s raining cats and dogs” is already and understatement. The rain was more than cats and dogs!

This has been the weather in Cebu for the past week or so. In one moment the sun heats up like a mad oven. After a few hours, the rain pours madly. In some instances, it drizzles while the sun is up.

It is a crazy weather, indeed.

“Uwan, init, pista sa langit,” is what people say to describe unexplainable weather. But if it is true that there is indeed a celebration in the heavens during such situations, we on earth are surely coping with the result of such celebrations.

When it rains, the roads of Cebu get flooded due to the lack of or absence of a good drainage system. Students, workers and commuters alike are stranded for many hours on the street. 

You’re lucky if you have a private vehicle. But then again, you are not exempted from the monstrous traffic. This was the scenario last week. Heavy rains flooded streets in the metro. The University of San Carlos – Talamban Campus driveway and the SM City Cebu are among the areas that were flooded. There were no alternative routes to take. With every turn, vehicles are forced to fall in a long line moving approximately an inch every five minutes.

Meanwhile, when the sun is too hot, we complain about the heat. The allowances of students like me are spent on cool drinks. Some even get heatstroke or sunburn.

Whether it is the rain pouring, the sun shining or both, the situations are already getting on everyone’s nerves. And we only have ourselves to blame for what is happening. We are now experiencing the effects of global warming. Mother Earth is waging weather warfare with us.

One reason is our garbage. Just look around you and you will know what I mean. And I’m pretty sure that garbage is also a problem in other areas in the Philippines. There is just not enough space for our garbage. Yes, there are already recycling efforts but these are not enough. There is nobody to blame for all these garbage, which are mostly plastics, but ourselves.

**Published in The Freeman newspaper on September 11, 2012