By S.S. Suarez
Safety Blog, Anyone?
I must admit it. Safety is not always the most exciting subject. But when I was asked to write a safety blog, I was excited. My excitement was anchored on the fact that I really missed writing. Having finished a degree in communication arts and a jaded father who earned a reputation as news correspondent, I immediately accepted my friend’s offer to create a blog without hesitation. Safety is one of my advocacies.
Then it hit me. To my knowledge, a safety blog has never been heard of in the Philippines. Will it sell? Will the blog attract readers? How can I make the subject of safety exciting and interesting to readers? These are the questions left hanging in my head even as I write my first blog. That’s probably because I want to create a blog that is not only informative but can also influence our readers. Without sounding as a know-it-all safety expert, I’d like to promote alternative solutions to safety training and third-party equipment inspection and testing. Most importantly, I’d like to generate interests among safety practitioners with the latest trends and exchange of information on health and safety.
This blog will prove that safety is not boring. It is no joke either. As I always say in my lectures, safety is a very practical course. Risk is part of our everyday lives. From home to work, we encounter risk every day. This blog will provide health and safety tips to the public. In the same way, I also want to feature human interest stories in relation to safety and the triumph of the human spirit over life’s trials and obstacles.
The Filipino Spirit
I could not ignore the events that transpired in the past two weeks. Torrential rains have clobbered our country, leaving many cities under the state of calamity. The NDRRC had placed the number of casualty to 89 already while thousands of families were affected.
Amid the calamity, one cannot ignore the Filipino’s resiliency and sense of humor. While I was watching a popular foreign news program doing a live coverage in one denuded area in Marikina, the news anchor at the studio noticed the children playing in the flood and relayed her observation to the news reporter on site. “Are the people there afraid for their safety?” asked the news anchor to the reporter.
As if on cue, the foreign news reporter turned around and saw the same children with smiles on their faces. Looking perplexed, the reporter uttered, “Yes, they are afraid for their safety”. I could not control my laughter when I heard what the reporter just said. She had no idea what she was saying at that moment. She must be a greenhorn. A veteran foreign correspondent in the Philippines would already know and understand the Filipino spirit. We are a resilient race. We can laugh, wave to the cameras and play around even during calamities.
Another incident took place in the badly hit area of Roxas District, Quezon City. A woman told a news reporter that her husband had been missing for two days. In a serious tone, the reporter asked the woman if she still possessed a photo of her husband. The woman then showed a letter-size paper with the printed picture of her husband. What I saw made me giggle nonstop. The husband was in a striking “pa-cute” pose doing a peace sign, smiling ear-to-ear.
Our resiliency and sense of humor are Filipino traits that we can be proud of. Some say they are attributable to our Catholic religion. Our strong Catholic faith has carried us through calamities, coup d'etat and people power.
Lessons from “Habagat”
With meager funding, we can maximize our government resources by allocating them to high-risk areas. Instead of spending a lot on mitigating programs, we should put premium on prevention and educating the public in emergency preparedness. Having the right information at the right time saves lives.
With better weather forecasting and preparation, government was more ready this time. The death toll from the “Habagat” numbered to 89 compared to “Ondoy’s” 464 even if the “Habagat” rainfall surpassed “Ondoy’s”. This can be attributed, among others, to the early suspension of classes by the President who acted as governor of Metro Manila. Every Metro Manila mayor and school had no choice but to follow the President’s order. This single act resolved the confusion among the mayors, school owners and MMDA which could not unite the Metro Manila mayors.
No less than PNoy led the risk assessment of the NDRCC during the height of the “Habagat”. He must have already learned his lesson. In these trying times, the people not only look up to their leader but they are also looking for the actual presence of their leader. The presence of “senatoriables” in the relief operations left a bad taste in the mouth though.
Needless to say, a lot still needs to be done in the area of national disaster preparedness and response. Even while NDRCC is gearing up for more typhoons this year, the private sector must also do its share. It should increase the awareness of its employees on emergency preparedness by organizing response teams and emergency systems. They must be able to conduct drills to test their readiness in times of emergencies. A major shipping company in Manila has a default system that activates its “crisis team”. This crisis team sends messages through text, BB messenger and email to account and check employees’ safety wherever they maybe. I’m proud that I’m part of this company.
People 360 Trainings
People 360 has released its training calendar for August through December this year. Participants can look forward to People 360’s version of Loss Control Management. I’d like to call it “LCM Extreme”. Watch out for it!
