Last Monday started the new year according to the Gregorian calendar. Some sectors, like the Muslims who follow the lunar or Hijra calendar, celebrate the new year on another date. Muslims count dates starting from Hijra, when the Prophet Mohammad, PBUH, made his journey to the Holy City of Madinah after being persecuted in Holy Mecca, which signals the beginning of the Islamic era.

Regardless of belief, people view the day with similar perspectives and practices. They place the year ending under a microscopic introspection to assess how they lived it. Was their performance at, above or below par? Which part did they fail, which can they remedy, and which part needs enhancement for a better result? This is the simplistic universal message of a new year.

Having said that, Filipinos have had enough warnings about the "Big One." Drills have been conducted in schools and offices to prepare them. The Philippines is situated in a geophysical position on Earth, making it prone to weather aberrations, natural calamities, and disasters. It counts many geological fault lines.

Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes come unexpectedly like a thief in the night. Science is at its wit's end, trying to determine when and where it will strike. Even when an area is reeling from the disastrous effect of a superstorm, another one comes threatening. Hydrometeorological oddities are common occurrences.

More often, the government is found wanting in the race to address calamities. The budget for certain sectors is sacrificed for the needs of the victims.

It's time Congress legislates the creation of a separate department on national disaster risk reduction and management. The earthquake in Japan this New Year should jolt our policy-makers to the need for a department focused on disasters.

My wish, therefore, is for fewer calamities in 2024.

Our society has long suffered from fratricide — Filipino soldiers killing Filipino dissidents and criminals.

We hold the world record for fighting the longest war against communism, an ideology long discarded by its proponent countries. The life of the nation and its citizens should at all times preponderate over any ideology.