Sometime between December 2008 and January 2009, as the mercury in Manila dipped along with the Dow in New York, something else was on the rise. All of a sudden, the number of everyday Pinoys in fall/winter gear spiked. The glitch was noticeable enough to make me stroke my non-existent chin pubes.
According to the Jan. 16, 2009 issue of The Philippine STAR, the temperature in Metro Manila fell to 18.1 degrees Celsius, the coldest “recorded so far this year in the metropolis” by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa). (Senior weather forecaster Robert Sawi added that last year, Metro Manila experienced a low of 18 degrees Celsius on Dec. 20. The record, however, still stands at 15.1 degrees Celsius in 1987.)
Like a majority of people who reside in sun-drenched countries, Pinoys seem to have a huge crush on cold weather. Those who have not seen or touched snow most likely daydream about it. I’d guess that it’s less about winter sports than it is — sigh — about fashion. After all, where else could one wear coats, hoodies, and Fair Isle sweaters from the neighborhood ukay-ukay? It’s understandable but also slightly bananas.
We’re in narnia?
While waiting outside my apartment building early one evening, I spotted a woman trudging down the street with a chunky scarf wrapped around her neck like a bored python. At an Irish pub a few minutes later, I spied a dude — presumably in his 20s — wearing a jacket layered over a hoodie layered over a T-shirt. It was probably only 26ºC tops that night so I was naturally puzzled. Was I in the same country as these people? Were they drunk? Was I drunk? After mustering a rather feeble “Hmmmkay,” I continued speechifying with myself, moist pits and all. (Yes, speechifying is a real word.)
I’ve lived through quite a few winters so I know what it’s like to be socked with subzero temperatures. The most teeth-chattering has been –38, which felt like –48 if you factor in the wind chill. (Honestly, there is little difference between 20 and 30 below. They’re equally miserable.) So after getting used to weeks of that, single-digit conditions felt like summer; I recall breaking out the flip-flops and cargo shorts when it rose to 9 degrees Celsius, or “golf weather” as my friends called it.
‘Catching a cold’
That said, I understand that the cold spell in Manila is relative. What I can never figure out is the way office people walk along Ayala Avenue in parkas, puffy jackets, and fleece vests. Maybe they don’t want to “catch a cold” but it just looks misguided. (Fact: Colds and pneumonia are caused by germs, not by cool weather.) I had to stifle a snicker since it seemed like they were bundling up to gather around an ice sculpture.
But back to the weather forecast. Pagasa still expects colder weather in the coming days as the northeast monsoon season peaks. The government’s weather bureau even says it will most possibly last until next month.
Mark Twain once said, “In India, ‘cold weather’ is merely a conventional phrase and has come into use through the necessity of having some way to distinguish between weather which will melt a brass door-knob and weather which will only make it mushy.” The Huckleberry Finn author could’ve been talking about the Philippines as well. See, by bundling up excessively, most Pinoys are missing out on the somewhat pleasant change in temperature and depriving themselves of the opportunity to feel something different. When summertime rolls around — and it’s coming real soon — these people will probably complain about the oppressive heat. So if I were you, I’d bask in the so-called chill before it’s completely gone.