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Not only did Milenyo uproot trees and topple billboards and power poles, its brief onslaught on Thursday also emphasized the growing social divide in the country.
The Trinidad family is no stranger to long blackouts triggered not by natural calamities, but by poverty. In August, they spent about two weeks without electricity for failing to pay their bills. They’re expecting another disconnection order soon.
It’s one problem that’s seemingly alien to wealthy families seen by the Inquirer trooping to expensive hotels the other night. Not a few came in home attire -- shirt, shorts and slippers -- apparently expecting the cool hotel rooms to be home for the next two days or so.
Not far from the hotel, two shopping malls were packed with actual and window shoppers. The apparent common denominator was the yearning to escape the oppressive heat at home.
Lesson No. 1. Power and telephone lines must be buried in the Makati and Ortigas commercial districts like what has already been done in the Fort.
If the Philippines wants to be globally competitive in the call center business, then, by golly, we must provide these BPOs power and phone service 24/7.
2. The LRT and MRT must have a dedicated power connection 365 days a year.
As it is now, the light rail system depends on a number of several Meralco substations to deliver electricity and run the trains; when, say, the south of Pasig River Meralco franchise goes dead, the entire Baclaran-Monumento service unfortunately goes kaput as well.
3. Like the LRT, traffic lights also need independent power supply, plus back-up power source (battery and solar power) like those used in train crossing signals in other countries.
4. Edsa, C-5 and the South and North Luzon expressways must be rid of billboards.
5. To ease gridlock in the Makati commercial district, Ayala and Buendia can and must be converted into a one-way loop.
6. Builders need to review their condominium templates, especially those built like glass and concrete cages. Generators, no matter how powerful, are not designed to run nonstop for days.
7. Malls have now become the extensions of sala+dining+TV rooms of Metro Manilans. Rockwell did roaring business Thursday night--the lone mall left open with full power--from Makati village residents and condominium dwellers who were escaping the heat and the boredom of their darkened houses.
8. The local telcos will have to rely more on Wimax and other wireless means of delivering service to literally untangle themselves from the vagaries of nature.
9. When the weather cleared on Friday, the banks' ATM network, the supermarkets, and the malls were back on their feet despite electricity still unrestored. Should the government need insights on how to overcome supply-chain difficulties, the industry's backroom boys can fill up an entire how-to manual.
10. Filipinos, despite their toxic politicians and feckless bureaucrats, are still a cheerful lot. Eavesdropping on their exchanges of disaster stories, you would think that Milenyo was one big adventure.
niKay wrote this story at..
6:18 PM
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