As of this writing, 27 deaths, 3 missing persons, and around 150,000 families have been affected by the low-pressure area (LPA) that continues to linger within the archipelago in the past days and weeks.
Being a part of natural calamities that frequent our islands every year, this weather disturbance is something we cannot help or avoid. But its effects could have been mitigated if not avoided. As can be noted, most of the casualties fell victim to the floods that had occurred in low-lying areas. It was this flooding that could have been avoided in populated areas.
In urban communities where these floods victimized more people, no drainage systems are big and wide enough to accommodate rising flood waters. It’s the projects such as these that local government units should prioritize and finance. If there is a need to create dams and irrigation canals that could lead the rising waters to the sea, then they have to create these.
Aside from building huge canals, the government should impose upon subdivision and residential building owners a policy that prohibits the dumping of filling materials that could trap natural waterways. Permit applications should not be approved unless the responsible construction firms have a working drainage system that goes directly to the sea. This way, flooding will be somehow resolved in prolonged rainfalls.
This is just an immediate response to the problem of flooding. If we want a long-term and sustainable flood control system, we should include reforestation and forest protection schemes among the options. This way, it’s not only flooding that could be mitigated, but landslides as well knowing that trees can strengthen the soil against erosion. These are just suggestions, but they make sense if we truly want to avoid casualties during flood occurrences.
Explosive Conflict
Marital problems arising from infidelity are too common since time immemorial. It’s getting more rampant nowadays with the advancements in communication technology. Add to that the frequent mobility of people in society due to the multifarious activities that people engage in, given the now-complicated lifeways.
In most cases, this problem arises because a spouse intentionally decides to look for someone else. In short, he or she cheats on his/her partner at will. This might be very common among men although some women likewise do the same for certain reasons.
These reasons, on the part of women, are usually principle-based; but on the part of men, these are usually lust-based. Common knowledge can attest to this.
For instance, if a boyfriend or husband is fond of going out with his drinking buddies, with numerous vices to attend to in such a way that he no longer has time for his girlfriend or wife, then this could be a reason for the latter to look for someone else, especially if her partner never changed despite her repeated pleas. If she finds someone else who is more responsible, caring, thoughtful, and reliable, then she might go for this ‘lucky’ guy, though he might not be that good-looking.
Again, most of the reasons women opt for other men are based on principles that are closely associated with her ideas about what an ideal lover should be. If her man, aside from having many vices, is moreover lazy and very irresponsible, plus a wife-beater when drunk, then all the more that a woman’s love will be drawn to another. Given the man of her dreams, she would not hesitate to abandon her old partner.
But for most men who cheat on their ladies, the reason is usually lust-related. Perhaps it only confirms the psychological fact that men are sexually stimulated by sight. When he sees a lady with attractive and gorgeous looks, that’s enough for him to immediately forget his partner. His attention would be easily drawn to her, especially if she is, moreover, that seductive. Just a little flirtation from her could quickly turn him on, and next to that, he will be chasing her like a mad dog.
At times, both spouses might be that faithful to each other, but there comes a time when temptations come in. A woman for instance may be faithful to her man, but given an exceptionally handsome man to temp her, she would likely give in. She would end up weak enough to resist, especially if the advances are gradual and extremely seductive. This happened many times already, not just in novels and movies, but in reality. I know of some decent women who succumbed to such a temptation.
Men are easier to entice, more so if the temptress is highly seductive. A show of white, smooth legs, a shapely body, and an abundant chest are more than enough to drag his attention to the temptation. No matter how committed he is to his original relationship, no matter how principled he is, if he comes across such a temptation, he would most likely yield.
But pleasures are temporary. When things finally get discovered, chaos takes place within the relationship. Jealousy is a powerful emotion. When it breaks loose, violence could erupt. If mere suspicions are dangerous, how much more if the pieces of evidence are glaring enough?