HOPING NOT TO HAPPEN

By Reymundo Salao
Askal Projection

It’s a fatal accident waiting to happen. Somebody has got to focus their attention on the children crossing the unfinished overpass bridge along the Gen. Luna-Mabini St. Parts of the bridge has no protective railings yet, there are even pointy iron rods that still stick out of the structure. Yet, the bridge is not guarded by at least enough blockades by the stairs to stop children from going up and across it. God forbid, what would happen if some kid would fall off it? Who’s going to take responsibility? I was shocked to find the other day that even irresponsible adults cross that bridge. At the time that I first noticed this, I was thinking that perhaps they have done it considering the fact that at the time, the road between SPED & Iloilo Central Elementary School is flooded from the recent rainy weather. But as of last time I checked, and that was just a day ago, I could still see some pesky kids going up on it.

Should it be the responsibility of the Police or the Traffic Aides to look after this scenario? Well, at least those who are at the same location at the same time should at least hold some responsibility of stopping this said dangerous habit. Personally, I think the schools around it should make it their responsibility as well. I think they should expressly and strictly prohibit their students from crossing the bridge, and that they should expressly enforce this rule because it involves life and death, and even the reputation of the schools around it.

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A friend of mine works in a government office, in a government building. And every noontime, whenever he takes his brief noonbreak afternoon nap, he freezes for just about a few seconds in paranoia. What if an earthquake would strike? What if when he wakes up, he finds that he is buried alive? What if he wakes up with a smashing concrete right on his skull that sends him to his instant death? If he were working on a privately owned building, he’d be at least two degrees less paranoid because he knows for sure that owners of private buildings surely make all the necessary security in order to ensure that their buildings are sturdy enough to survive the worst of earthquakes. Private individuals and corporations would surely not invest on something that they would just sacrifice to the slightest calamities. But on this government office where my friend works in, he has every reason to be very afraid.

This building has been around for quite some time now. And he has long heard rumors about how cheap materials were used for the building, and all the other rumors of bad foundations. And even though they were all just rumors, he still couldn’t help but notice the really large cracks on the ground floor of the building, rendered by the mellow earthquakes that have shook it in past years. And that is the factor that makes him believe the rumors. And these rumors complete his paranoia.

What now makes his paranoia fever up is that only months ago, Japan experienced a really strong earthquake. One that was able to inflict a considerable amount of damage. And now, just days ago, areas in Pakistan were massacred by another earthquake. One that is as killingly devastating as last year’s tsunami tragedy. This new one is a tragedy of mass proportions. My friend is indeed not only paranoid; he is just human, perceptive enough to realize that steps must be made to insure that these earthquake tragedies does not happen to us.

I think that earthquake drills must again be observed from time to time. I think that buildings should be re-inspected, most especially government buildings which have been damaged with wide cracks that may be a clear sign that its foundation has weakened. I believe that being prepared and making steps to protect us from earthquake tragedies is a good investment in our own lives and the lives of our family and friends.