Manila’s floods; Olympics mocks ‘The Last Supper’

Rains and floods – unprecedented floods – spoiled the post-SONA aura of President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr.’s third State of the Nation Address, which was delivered in almost flawless rhetoric in 77 minutes and was applauded 125 times, on July 22.

On July 23 and 24, the neck-deep floods in the National Capital Region made hollow the President’s SONA boast of climate change resilience and disaster preparedness, 24/7 (“Tiyakin ang ating malawakang paghahanda, at ang ating pagiging mulat, at listo sa anumang oras,” he said). In two years, almost 100 evacuation centers were built, over 5,500 flood control projects were completed, with many more such projects under construction nationwide, BBM announced at Batasan to wild applause.

Today, you could hear the wild boos about that flood control boast. There is no sign of any flood control in Metro Manila. None too in other major parts of the country.

In a capital that is five meters below sea level in many areas, and with a third of the archipelago in danger of sinking in 100 years because of climate change, you have to be audacious to guarantee any kind of resilience or preparation. With a brainless and fickle climate, you will always be caught with your pants down, literally and figuratively.

In 12 hours, from 2 p.m. July 23 and 2 a.m., Carina dumped more rains in half a day than a month’s volume of rainfall, 461.4 millimeters. Ondoy’s recorded 24-hour rainfall was 455 mm, with 341.3 mm measured in just six hours, said ABS-CBN.

On cue, Metro Manila mayors declared a state of calamity which enables them to raise cash. From July 2022 to May 2024, the BBM administration dispensed P15 billion in assistance (P715 million in cash) to disaster victims, 6.5 million families, in 38 disaster events.

The greater calamity is the incompetence and corruption of top government people that invariably accompany flood control and mitigation.

By law, we have a Disaster Management Training Institute to “strengthen the country’s disaster resilience through capacity building, knowledge transfer and partnerships.” By law, we also have an “early warning, weather, flood and climate forecasting and earthquake and volcano monitoring stations.” So how come everybody was caught flatfooted?

The Administration was supposed to have funded 44 projects, implemented 53 projects and developed 75 technologies related to DRRM (Disaster Risk Reduction Management). With Carina, my WiFi was shut down for five days. That’s technology.

Before Carina, the BBM administration was proposing ten flood control projects during 2024 to 2037 costing over P500 billion: 1) Integrated Flood Resilience and Adaptation (InFRA) Project 2; 2) Central Luzon-Pampanga River Floodway Project; 3) Paran?aque Spillway/Tunnel Project; 4) Ambal-Simuay River and Rio Grande de Mindanao River Flood Control and Riverbank Protection; 5) Davao City Flood Control and Drainage Project; 6) Integrated Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation Measures in the Low-Lying Areas of Pampanga Bay, Stage II; 7) InFRA 3 Project (Aklan, Allah and Ilog-Hilabangan); 8) InFRA 4 Project (Agno, Cadac-an and Mag-asawang Tubig); 9) Flood Control Projects for Pampanga and Bicol River Basins-Package I and 10) Flood Control Projects for Panay and Agusan River Basins-Package II.

No mention of any major flood control projects in Metro Manila and Calabarzon where 23 of the 34 Carina deaths occurred.

Last Supper parody

On July 28, the Paris Olympics organizers apologized to Christian and Catholic groups over a parody of Leonardo Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” that was part of the four-hour made-for-tv opening ceremony Saturday (Friday, July 26 in Paris).

The surreal segment depicted the biblical scene of Jesus Christ and the 12 apostles sharing the last meal before his crucifixion by a crew of drag queens and dancers, including a transgender individual and a nude singer.

The main characters almost all overweight, the parody seems also to promote obesity, as if inviting weight reduction drugs sponsors. The organizers claimed to celebrate community and tolerance.

Said an Australian bishop, Roberto Barron: “France felt it’s trying to put its best cultural foot forward (and) the right thing to do is to mock this very central moment in Christianity where Jesus at His Last Supper gives His body and blood in anticipation of the cross.”

Instead, Barron protested, “what’s presented is this gross, flippant mockery.”

France, the bishop noted, used to be called the eldest daughter of the Church. Paris gave us Thomas Aquinas who taught there; Vincent de Paul, King Louis IX and Saint Louis. France sent Catholic missionaries all over the world.

French actor Philippe Katerine, whose primarily nude body was painted sparkly blue to portray a Greek god during the opening ceremony, told Le Parisien newspaper that he was “proud of the performance.” 

“Nudity is really the very origin of the Games,” he reminded the publication, translated from French. He later added that he was “very happy” to be a part of the ceremony.

Related the USA Today newspaper: “In one scene from the opening ceremony, a dinner platter lifted to show a mainly nude Katerine singing in French. In the background, dancers and drag queens struck poses along a long table.” 

“Panning through the tableau, a camera first showed a person crowned with an aureole in front of DJ turntables. The next shot showed the rest of the table, lined with performers holding their poses.” 

“The table then transformed into a catwalk, as the drag queens and models took the stage in homage to Paris’ fashion scene.”

“The official X account for the Olympic Games shared photos of the moment and referenced Dionysus, Greek god of wine-making, fruitfulness and ecstasy.”

“The interpretation of the Greek god Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings,” USA Today quoted a tweet captioning the photos.

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