Much as we commend the exceedingly improved physical appearance of the renowned San Juanico bridge with the lighting effects that have been installed along its sides, we cannot also deny the fact that its grandeur is pitifully spoiled by certain eyesores.
Yes, this bridge turns into an enchantment at night, amazingly glowing in the dark as it emits into the atmosphere rainbows of spectacular lights. The magical display captures everyone’s attention and leaves the spectators in awe as the majestic lights penetrate the high clouds and illuminate the open skies.
But the exhilarating experience of watching an extraordinary view quickly turns into a nightmare for land travelers from the island of Leyte. For after a few kilometers away, they start rocking from side to side, up and down, as they drive on perhaps the roughest highway in the country. The cracks on the road are too huge and many could send vehicles into the air with careless drivers.
Why? The stretch of the highway between the cities of Tacloban and Catbalogan is just so bad it is almost unfit for land travel. This badly-damaged part of the Maharlika highway extends within Samar province, which is not entirely surprising given the massive corruption practices that this province has been known for. While roads and highways in other parts of the country boast beauty, space, and durability, this Samar highway remains in a Jurassic state.
Why spend so much in beautifying a bridge if it merely leads you to the pits of destruction and discomfort? Why not prioritize the highway first through the acquisition of quality materials and workmanship? Surely, there is nothing wrong with making this bridge elegant, but if its connecting routes are ruined by neglect, then its beauty is just tainted.
Unpredictable
If there is something nowadays that has become so unpredictable, it is actually the weather. You can’t tell exactly how it’s going to be in a given place. Now the sun shines, now it doesn’t. Now you see the rain, now you don’t.
It’s this unpredictability that we should brace for. We should have something against any eventuality. If we go places often, then we should bring something against the rain, against the sunlight, against the cold, and many others. Failure to equip ourselves with these means suffering the consequences.
It’s for this reason, some would say, that many are getting sick nowadays. Not necessarily of COVID-19, the most common culprit, but of common colds, coughs, fever, and other illnesses that used to exist even before the virus came.
Thus, when it suddenly rains and one does not have an umbrella or a hat or anything to cover the head with, one gets soaked with rainwater, and that could cause the said ailments based on common beliefs. And so we hear of someone suffering from a headache because he got exposed to the rain; or coughing or sneezing or running a fever for similar causes.
Blame it on this weather unpredictability that people get caught unprepared, and fall ill as a result. These illnesses are very common nowadays, indeed. Teachers with plenty of students can observe this—many of their students are suffering from these symptoms, and the rest are in fact absent. But mind you, they are not blaming COVID-19 anymore or suspecting that the virus is the cause.
It’s just a sign of the season, old folks would say. Panahon yana hin panip-on, pangubo, panhiranat, ug iba pa. Again, people do not suspect the virus as the cause, even if they hear there is a spike of renewed infections in many parts of the country. Kay ano ngean, some would reason out, diri ba amo ini an mga arabaton han mga tawo hadto bisan waray pa an covid? Which is also right, di ba?
Anyway, lest we catch hold of these illnesses, let us just brace for weather unpredictability, indeed. Always bring with you an umbrella, a hat, or anything to cover your head with. The most important is that we protect our heads from getting wet. The head and our clothes, as well. Because it’s not healthy to have soaking wet clothes in the workplace.
In addition (so we can avoid common colds, coughs, fever, etc.), let’s continue to wear masks in public places. Keep your distance from other people, and avoid touching your mouth and nose unless you sanitize them first. This is to avoid sicknesses brought about not just by the unpredictable weather, but also by the prevailing virus in our midst.