Agitations in January

We’re not even halfway through January yet and the new year is already being met with disturbing events to say the least.

Bushfires in Australia, a stand-off between the United States and Iran, an accidental shooting down of a Ukrainian plane in Iran that killed 176 people, a mysterious pneumonia outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan, a series of earthquakes in Mindanao, and now the eruption of Taal Volcano in Luzon.

But with tragedies and problems being an inevitable part of life, we are also busy with finding solutions or ways to cope with the challenges they bring, including, of course, our prayers for relief and a better situation.

Rain is starting to fall in some parts of Australia, bringing moisture to areas scorched by the seasonal wildfires. The stand-off between the US and Iran – after the assassination by the US of a top Iranian commander and Iran’s retaliation through a rocket attack against two American bases in Iraq – has since tapered off after both sides made it clear they do not desire to make the conflict bigger.

Amid pressures from western nations, Iran has also admitted that it was their own missile that accidentally shot down a Ukrainian airliner last week. We can only hope for a full-blown, transparent investigation that should lead to accountability and justice.

Meanwhile, the pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan, China, has already claimed one life. But still we trust our airports and other ports of entry to undertake preventive measures against the spread of the mysterious virus. Health authorities are on top of things and there should be no disruption to our daily business.

With the recent Mindanao quakes linked to the movement of major faults acting on other faults, possibly causing a series of strong tremors in the island, we can only pray that casualties and damage to properties remain minimal, and government’s disaster response will be adequate. We cannot do anything to prevent earthquakes but we can learn lessons on disaster management and of keeping residential and industrial settlements away from fault zone areas.

The curveball thrown our way last Sunday was the eruption of Taal Volcano. Prior to the volcano’s phreatic eruption, we have not been informed about warning signs that the scenic volcano was close to an eruption.

Although we in Cebu are far away from the hazard zone, with southerly winds blowing the volcanic ash north across northern Luzon, in many way we are still affected by volcanic eruption. Yesterday, transactions that had to be made from Cebu to the capital Manila have been stalled due to class and work suspensions. Likewise, we cannot help but be concerned for our friends and loved ones in Luzon who have been posting on social media their experience with the ash fall and darkened skies.

Fine volcanic ash poses danger to human health and to aircraft as well. Government is scrambling to distribute N95 masks to the public, especially the vulnerable ones. At the NAIA, all flights were cancelled Sunday, while gradual resumption of flights was being worked out yesterday morning. With low visibility on the road, motorists have been cautioned to be very careful. Yesterday, Rappler reported that a truck driver died and three others were hurt in a road crash in Laguna, possibly due to low visibility.

As we in Cebu celebrate the Sinulog Festival this coming weekend, let us give thanks to the Santo Niño for sparing Cebu from catastrophic events. Let us also offer our fervent prayers for all those who are suffering from human-made and natural calamities.