I’m pretty sure you’ve already seen the aftermath of the magnitude-7.8 earthquake in Mindanao where photos and videos were posted online. If there’s one thing that is clear, it is that disasters can happen at any time.
It could happen when you’re on your way to work, or in that case during the flag ceremony of children in school. It could happen when you’re enjoying your morning coffee or even as you sleep.
It doesn’t care if you don’t have enough savings or if you haven’t said I love you to the people you love, it can simply happen and that’s it. Your world and everyday life will completely change.
But how can anyone ever be prepared for something we hope never happens? Your guess is as good as mine. Who wants to prepare for the end of the world, right?
The truth is we have been receiving memos from Mother Nature more frequently these days.
Take, for example, the ashfall from Mayon Volcano in Bicol. Or let’s not even leave the metro. Here in the country’s capital, trees are being targeted to give way to a major road upgrade which has triggered a debate on sustainability and progress for future generations.
Well, these may be different events in different places but have you not wondered if they are all trying to tell us the same thing?
The world is changing — which is something we cannot prevent from happening. The heat waves are worse now and floods are more frequent, not to mention the poor quality of the air we are breathing in.
Nature has always been speaking to us — the question is whether we have been listening.
For us Filipinos, we know resilience by heart, and I’m not saying it’s the best trait that we have, I’m just saying we should not romanticize resilience. We always find reasons to smile even when life becomes difficult but this does not mean being accepting of disasters if we could avoid them by being prepared.
It starts with preparing emergency bags before they’re needed. It means knowing evacuation routes. It means teaching children what to do during earthquakes instead of figuring out on the day it hits us. It also means designing infrastructure that can withstand calamities and institutions that know how to respond to disasters.
One might say that preparing for a disaster is like manifesting that it will happen. In reality, disaster preparedness is actually love in its practical form. It also means caring for the environment that sustains us. After all, we cannot continuously take from nature without expecting the consequences of our own actions.
The trees we cut are not merely there for ornamental purposes — they have their role in flood control. Mangroves planted near ports are not just for green scenery but are actually nature’s guard against tsunamis and large waves.
In the aftermath of the magnitude-7.8 earthquake that struck Mindanao on 8 June, following the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the Department of Transportation (DoTr) and the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), led by Acting Secretary Giovanni Z. Lopez and PPA general manager (GM) Jay Santiago, respectively, immediately inspected major ports in the SoCcsksargen region to assess the damage and ensure the public’s safety.
At the Port of General Santos, officials met with employees and cargo handling operators to determine the extent of the damage and identify urgent interventions necessary to restore operations.
Initial assessments revealed significant cracks and settlement in portions of the wharf area, damage to the Port Operations Building and Passenger Terminal Building, as well as liquefaction in sections of the container yard.
Other ports sustained varying degrees of damage. Cracks were seen in facilities at the Ports of San Roque and Glan, while the Port of Mabila suffered some of the most severe impact, including deep fissures on its causeway and damage to its passenger facilities and RoRo areas.
To prioritize safety, operations at the Port of General Santos were temporarily suspended while comprehensive structural assessments continued. Transactions through the Port Integrated Clearance Office were transferred to the covered court to minimize the disruption to stakeholders.
For GM Santiago, preparedness is planning ahead before disaster strikes. That means PPA employees have been trained for these kinds of nature’s warning. That also means showing up on the ground instead of merely issuing statements. Hence, a swift rehabilitation begins as soon as conditions allow and continuity plans are all laid down so that public services remain accessible even amid disruptions.
It was good that despite the tsunami warnings and the damage that occurred, there were no injuries or casualties at the ports.
Perhaps, Mother Nature is telling us to find solutions where progress and preservation can coexist and to remember that our convenience today should not become a source of vulnerability tomorrow.
Preparedness is a choice: we choose to either ignore the warning signs or pay attention. Whether we react after a tragedy or prepare before it happens, the earth will keep turning and nature will continue to thrive. Leadership before and after a disaster requires thinking ahead and demanding responsibility after.
Nature will continue to issue memos. May we be wise enough to listen and responsible enough to act. After all, we are all in the same boat (just not the rescue boat, please!). Let’s act before it’s too late.