Better to be safe than sorry

As the saying goes, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Those were indeed my sentiments about the storm last week. It was one of the only times I remember that everyone was more prepared and ready for what the weather would bring. It was scary listening to the news and the prediction of Typhoon Ruby becoming another super typhoon, but we were fortunate enough that it moved so slowly and our weather agencies were able to track its every change.

What’s more, they gave us ample warning and time to prepare for all possible outcomes. We were very fortunate and our prayers were answered, for while Ruby started out very strong, it weakened a little along its path and didn’t hit the country full force as was expected. Of course there were still many parts of the Philippines that were hit very badly, but at the very least Ruby was not a Typhoon Yolanda part two. I’m so thankful for that because I know we would not be able to recover from another Yolanda so soon.

As I mentioned last week, I have to say I was very impressed by the ample weather warnings that were given round the clock. They were much like in the United States when there’s a storm watch or possible disaster; information is made available to the public at regular intervals. Social media was utilized wisely and while some people said that the news might have caused a panic, I think it was important that every update be made available. Again, better to be preventive than reactive.

I commend the local weather agencies as well as those abroad who strove to constantly let us know what to expect and how to prepare. I also commend the local government agencies that responded quickly, evacuated people in time, and made sure the casualties were kept to a minimum. Hopefully this is a sign that we have learned from our past mistakes. We should never be caught unprepared again. This, along with better infrastructure and development, should remain top on our country’s agenda, especially with climate change really messing up the seasons and making the weather so unpredictable.

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I’m glad to note that the new Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua is starting things off on the right foot. He foresees better bilateral relations with our country and hosted a Christmas party by the Chinese embassy for the local media, citing that he wanted to make friends and that there was no better way to do this than to hold a party instead of a press conference. His predecessor Ma Keqing, established good friends in the media as well during her short stay here as she was recalled to Beijing to take on an important post.

At the Tuesday Club where she enjoyed being a host, she spoke freely with our media friends about everything under the sun, not just politics. It was indeed easier to talk about tensions between our two countries with someone we considered a friend as opposed to just a business or political acquaintance. As I have mentioned before, I am all for bilateral talks with China. I think that it is the only way for us to truly solve our issues. I hope we can agree on a just solution to this nagging issue very soon.

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I’ll RideWithYou. The five simple words “I’ll ride with you” that make up the hashtag that went viral on the Internet, carry with them a very powerful message of peace and tolerance. As I write this column the hostage situation at the Lindt Café in Martin Place Sydney has yet to be resolved and live updates are being shared via news and media outlets.

It’s something no one expected and seemed right out of a movie. What should have been a shopping day, just 10 days away from Christmas, turned into a nightmare early Monday when witnesses say they saw an armed man walk into the Lindt chocolate shop and café which was said to have had roughly 10 employees and 30 customers inside at the time who were all taken hostage. Soon after, the offices and buildings surrounding the cafe as well as the streets were evacuated as police and Special Forces teams assessed how to handle the situation as safely as possible for the hostages inside.

According to those who were present, it was surreal. And not long after the hostage situation began, the hostage taker made those inside the café hang a black Islamic flag in the window. The perpetrator was identified as Man Haron Monis, who received political asylum in Australia in 1996 and is still under investigation for several crimes.

Due to the horrible tragedy, it would have been easy for Muslims in Australia to experience the backlash of Monis’ actions, as is the case when there are radical terrorist attacks. I am sure it has happened in other parts of the world and whether people like to admit it or not, racial profiling has become a real problem in our society. This is why the “I’ll ride with you” movement is so inspiring. As tensions remained high in the midst of the hostage siege, Rachel Jacobs posted an experience she had on the train with a Muslim woman who was silently removing her hijab. She told the woman to keep it on and said the words “I’ll ride with you,” indicating that woman need not be afraid of backlash due to her religious attire. The woman was so moved by her words, she cried.

Netizens were likewise moved by Jacobs’ post and shared it. Another Twitter user shared that she would ride with anyone traveling in religious attire who was scared to ride alone and created the hashtag #IllRideWithYou, which has since been re-tweeted over 166,000 times in the eight hours after she posted it with citizens in Australia showing solidarity towards Muslim citizens. And it’s not just in Australia that the movement gained traction, but all over the world as well. It’s an amazing and hopeful response to what could’ve just remained an ugly situation.

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We can look forward to a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year with the continued lowering of the prices of oil, diesel and gasoline. This is especially good these days when traffic only continues to get worse and worse. Predictions say that the drop in prices of oil will continue throughout 2015. We can hope that the prices of essential goods also drop to reflect the lowering of oil prices. If this is true, than 2015 is certainly going to start off on the right foot indeed!