Public urged to prepare for disasters

MANILA, Philippines – An official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) reminded the people yesterday that in the observance of All Souls’ Day, the public should not only ponder about death but also on measures to stay safe and reduce the probability of dying.

Fr. Edu Gariguez, executive secretary of the CBCP’s National Secretariat of Social Action, Justice and Peace, said that on All Souls’ Day that is being observed today, the people should think of ways to stay safe during calamities and in their daily lives.

Gariguez cited Super Typhoon Yolanda that claimed the lives of thousands and destroyed properties which first anniversary the country will commemorate next week.

He said that people only borrow their lives from God and that eventually everyone will die.

“While it is only God who knows when a person will die, there are deaths that could be avoided and these are (deaths caused by) disasters. We could prepare for disasters,” Gariquez said.

For instance, if a person’s house is situated near the sea and the location is prone to strong typhoons, he should not wait for disaster to strike and should immediately relocate.

“Disaster risk reduction can be connected with the celebration of All Souls’ Day so that we could remind the people that there are deaths that can be prevented,” he added.

The CBCP official also said that in one cemetery that he visited there was a message posted on the gate, “Ako Ngayon, Ikaw Bukas” that implies that the time would come when it would be someone else’s turn to die. He believed this is a very good message and should serve as a reminder to those still living.

“It is a reminder of our mortality,” Fr. Gariguez said.

“The message should not just be visiting (the cemeteries) to show that you still love your departed love ones. I think it would be good if we would look at it from the context of All Souls’ Day also as a disaster preparedness,” he added.