YOUR BULLETIN OPINIONS — Mindanao earthquake is a reminder of the importance of disaster preparedness

EDITORIAL Mindanao earthquake is a reminder of the importance of disaster preparedness Among the various natural calamities mankind may face, earthquakes stand out as the most perilous due to their suddenness. Despite the possibility of high-magnitude quakes providing subtle warnings, the recent earthquake last Nov. 17, 2023, at 4 p.m. that affected a large area of Mindanao exposed our weakness when it comes to disaster preparedness. According to a primer from the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (DOST-PHIVOLCS), the earthquake registered a magnitude of 6.8, with its epicenter located 28 kilometers southwest of Sarangani, Davao Occidental. The agency attributed the earthquake to the Cotabato Trench and reported a total of 58 aftershocks by 8 a.m. on Nov. 18. Online videos depicting the seismic activity reveal the forceful shaking of the land, so strong that even a crane on top of a building collapsed. However, what's worrisome is that people have apparently forgotten the "Drop, Cover, Hold" protocol, a fundamental rule during earthquakes. READ MORE

OPINION The joys of missing out TECH4GOOD by Monchito B. Ibrahim The power of the internet has improved everyone's lives in many ways but many believe most of us have gone overboard as far as how we use it today. Tired of feeling like you are always missing out on something? Before getting out and back to bed at the end of the day, do you find yourself checking your phone, scrolling senselessly through social media, and comparing your life to others? If so, you are not alone. The fear of missing out, or FOMO, has become a widespread problem in our society, causing stress, anxiety, and discontent. But there is a better way to live, a way that embraces the joys of missing out, or JOMO. We just have to go back to the times when baby boomers like myself used to live without all the gadgets, the apps, and all the noises that rule our lives today. READ MORE

OPINION From Russia MEDIUM RARE by Jullie Y. Daza Once in a while it's great to be swept off one's feet by a power as insubstantial as music: To lose oneself in a stream... a waterfall... an ocean of emotions that offer no definition, no description of what has just happened. Such was the experience when a 31-year-old Russian playing Rachmaninoff's piano concerto No. 2 shook us out of our everyday selves to be immersed in the magic of music coaxed out of the most eloquent of all musical instruments. Nikolay Khozyainov, outfitted in dazzling white, his blonde hair a mass of curls like an angel's or a student prince's, took curtain call after curtain call at Samsung Performing Arts Theater last Nov. 17, his audience yelling "Bravo!" and "Encore!" as if the world would end if he did not oblige. They couldn't help it, could they? READ MORE

OPINION Iggy issue refuses to die UNDER THE MICRCOSCOPE by Raymundo W. Lo, MD, FPSP Two weeks after my column (Sad day for doctors, sadder still for patients, Oct. 31, 2023) detailed the tragic conviction and death during incarceration of Iggy Agbayani, the issue continues to simmer. Coincidentally, a business newspaper columnist also discussed the Iggy case on the same day, making it a double. It was amazing how my column went viral, arousing vigorous discussions on group chats, Facebook, X (Twitter), and other social media platforms. The case was fodder for a later editorial in another daily newspaper, as well as reactions from former chief justice Artemio Panganiban ('...remand the case to the trial courts to determine whether there was indeed reckless imprudence on the non-sterilization issue, and if so, whether it should be factually attributed to him.'), Health Secretary Teddy Herbosa ('Doctors should unite after Agbayani's death'). READ MORE

OPINION Rightful places on EDSA EDITORS DESK by Rocky Nazareno The EDSA Bus Carousel Lane was opened mid-2020, and was intended to be a mass rapid system that would benefit the masses. The two inner-most lanes on most of the 23.8-kilometer road were barricaded and separated from the rest of the traffic to let, primarily, passenger buses to zip through unimpeded, and afford swifter travel for the greater majority. For all intents and purposes, the EDSA Bus Carousel entitled the less privileged, the masses, to a more comfortable, quicker ride through what is regarded as the country's most congested major thoroughfare. It was also intended to be an incentive for car owners to abandon their ride, and, instead, use public buses while traveling on EDSA, thereby, lessening the traffic crunch on the vital road that passes through six of Metro Manila's 17 local government units, cutting north to south from Caloocan City to Pasay City. READ MORE

VIEWS Unwanted sense of entitlement FINDING ANSWERS by Former Senator Atty. Joey D. Lina It's easy to grasp why motorists in a hurry but stuck in traffic were infuriated at the reason for an unauthorized use of the EDSA busway: "Out of courtesy that the convoy was in a hurry, we allowed it." And it's also easy to understand why Sen. Bong Revilla, earlier mentioned to be in the convoy but which turned out to be untrue, was so mad at Col. Bong Nebrija, the suspended chief of Task Force Special Operations Unit (TFSOU) of the MMDA. "Unang-una hindi ko kotse 'yun (First of all, it's not my car)," Sen. Revilla said. "Kung totoo man na may nasita silang gumagamit ng aking pangalan, dapat ay ginawa nila ang kanilang trabaho na tiniketan ang lumabag (If it's true that they flagged someone using my name, they should have done their job and ticketed the violator)." READ MORE

MANILA BULLETIN SPOTLIGHT

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