It’s been said time and again, hindsight is always 20/20 vision. But now we have to try and look at the future. These appeals must be heeded by all concerned, because tens of thousands of people have already lost their lives to nature’s wrath. Due, in significant part, to massive oversight on the part of our decision-makers. Our past leaders blatantly disregarded environment-related problems, and now we are paying for their mistakes.

Our government must indeed get down to brass tacks and tackle the obvious issues: improper land use, clogging of waterways, garbage disposal, pollution….

But, amid all of these calls for government action, we must not forget that each of us has a responsibility as well. No one is free from blame: each of us has contributed to the tons of trash that find their way to rivers, oceans, valleys, natural parks. All of us have been unmindful of what progress has made us become: wasteful.

Enough said. Let us do our part then. Let’s recycle what we can. Let’s minimize waste, and do our part in saving the environment. And somehow, possibly, save the future from even worse natural calamities.

We might not have typhoons or storms in Davao, but the infrastructure problems in Marikina and other parts of Metro Manila do exist here. Therefore Dabawenyos must not be complacent nor myopic: the kind of devastation caused by Typhoon Ondoy in Metro Manila is not so far-fetched as to be improbable in Davao.

Flooding in Ecoland subdivision

We have seen our share of flooded streets, and even kind of expect it in certain areas when heavy rains fall. No killer floods so far in recent memory, but at the rate our city is developing — ergo, generating garbage and wreaking havoc on nature — imbalance in our ecology could bring on a deluge we most probably won’t soon forget.

The good news is, there are champions within local government who are espousing awareness and preparedness. One of them is Councilor Leonardo Avila III, who has raised the red flag of climate change and its destructive effects. Avila chairs the committee on the environment in the Sangguniang Panlungsod. He has called for the revisiting of Davao City’s land use plan and the taking of climate change into serious consideration as a factor in development.

Much like the case of Marikina’s land development, Davao is mired in chaotic zoning and city planning. Looking at a map of the city, one clearly sees the hodge-podge arrangement of streets and public infrastructure. More serious than that, our watersheds, catchment areas (natural formations, such as valleys, that protect against flooding), not to mention hills and forests, have already been tampered with; ergo, making our city even more vulnerable to nature’s calamities.

Dabawenyos should rest assured that we have highly-trained and effective response teams here: the 911 emergency response center, the fire brigades, the local chapter of the National Disaster Coordination Council. However, prevention is still way better than restoration.

Due to what transpired in Metro Manila recently, we must, from now on, keep in mind how vulnerable we are. I totally disagree with the sitting president’s declaration of a nationwide state of calamity (much more with the proposed length of time it’s supposed to be in effect), but we mustn’t put it out of our minds that our safety and prosperity could be at risk if we do not prepare ourselves and our community. Again, we must not be complacent. We — the government and the private sector — must work hand-in-hand to plan well ahead, and get the plan implemented, in order to prepare for any calamitous eventuality that Mother Nature might throw at us.