Photo-ops during calamities

By Alex P. Vidal

“Don’t show off every day, or you’ll stop surprising people. There must always be some novelty left over. The person who displays a little more of it each day keeps up expectations, and no one ever discovers the limits of his talent.” – Baltasar Gracian

THE Philippines is the only country in the world that links natural disasters and calamities or the horrific damages they cause to human greed and irrational selfishness.

We’re referring to the flash floods that killed more than a hundred people and damaged millions of properties when super typhoon Tino recently struck, exposing the massive waste of taxpayers’ money stolen from “ghost” and substandard flood control projects especially in Cebu by private contractors in cahoots with corrupt elected and appointed officials.

Those flood control projects amounting to billions of pesos could have saved lives and properties if implemented properly and handled by honest DPWH officials and contractors.

If not for the typhoons, these irregularities in the infrastructure projects and plunder of epic proportions would have been forgotten if not totally swept under the rugs.

These revelations have become the chief source of the country’s embarrassment abroad.

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PUBLIC officials should refrain from displaying their “good” deeds in the social or even mainstream media during calamities; they must discourage their staff from posting self-serving photos detailing how they “go out their way to assist victims of calamities” like earthquakes and typhoons. This gimmickry is a thing of the past abhorred and rejected by people fed up with epals and pretentious public officials.

Helping people during calamities is not an earthshaking event; it does not make a mayor, a congressman, or a governor a superhuman or special.

Helping their constituents is a primordial duty with or without calamities. It does not make them extra pogi or guapa.

There’s no need to try hard and engage in make-believe photo-ops. It will only expose them as no better than cretins and phonies.

Showing off is not public service. It is self-praise and egotistical.

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MYTH: Our dishwasher will kill all the germs on our plates, etc. REALITY: Only cycles labeled “sanitizing” must meet requirements for germ killing — these are generally longer and also reach hotter rinse temperatures. Consider using sanitizing option if someone in the family has been sick. It’s probably not needed for our everyday loads if our dishwasher’s doing a fine job on the normal cycle.

SAVING OUR PLANET: Let’s go electric. As far as energy consumption is concerned, an electric shower (which heats water only as required) is usually a sounder choice than other water heating systems that heat up more water that we need, thereby wasting precious heat energy. (Source: Esme Floyd)

MYTH: We should let made-ahead meals cool before we put them in the fridge. REALITY: Large mounts of cooked food should be divided and transferred to shallow containers before refrigerating–and should be chilled immediately. Waiting for the food to cool to room temperature could give bacteria a chance to grow. Today’s refrigerators can handle hot foods. (Source: Kitchen Mythbusters)

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There are many ways in which a knowledge of biological science can be of great value to all of us. Some of these, according to the High Points of Biology, are as follows:

1. One learns a great deal about health and disease through the study of biology. This knowledge is important to our daily well-being.
2. Biology provides us with a knowledge of plants and animals. On trips, hikes, vacations, and in everyday activities, this information is a source of fun and interest.
3. The breeding and care of plants and animals are profitable and fascinating topics in biology.
4. Biology teaches us to understand how our own bodies work.
5. Gardening and agriculture are based on knowledge of biological principles.
6. The wise and efficient use of our natural resources can be helped through biological study of conservation.
7. Many occupations and professions require a background of biology. Among these are medicine, dentistry, veterinary work, laboratory, hospital, museum and research work, farming, nursing, and pharmacy.
8. Hobbies of all types are often developed as a result of biological work in the classroom. Insect collecting, nature photography, and microscopy are a few examples of these hobbies.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)