BY
EDITORIAL
Davao City’s skyline looks like it came straight out of a surreal painting with the darkened horizon. While everyone wants to believe that this fog-like image came as a result of the cool weather brought about by Typhoon Lando, the experts at Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) were however quick to awaken us from dreamland to tell us that this is all haze straight from Indonesia. Apparently, the monsoon winds have brought us not the romantic air we beget but the haze from Indonesia’s forest fires. The same haze is visible in General Santos City, Cebu and Cagayan de Oro City. Even ASEAN countries like Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore have been under a blanket of haze for quite sometime now, no thanks to the forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan in Indonesia.
Forest fires occur because of farmers who engage in slash-and-burn practices when clearing their lands primarily for economic reasons. The El Niño or the long periods of drought or dry season has only worsened the forest fires and unfortunately, the haze. This should be a cause of concern for all of us not only because it is detrimental to our environment. More importantly, this haze could be detrimental to our health especially those suffering from asthma and other chronic diseases. If you find yourself coughing a lot now, or sneezing more than you should be, then you should start to wonder if this is all caused by the haze. It is high time for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to start measuring air quality in the cities and provinces affected by the haze so we become aware if it is still safe to breathe freely. The Health Department should also come up with a guideline as to the effects of haze on our health, and what we can do to minimize the ill effects if there are.
Indonesia may be thousand of miles away from the Philippines but the haze that we are experiencing now shows that no country is isolated from the outside world anymore. As Joey Ayala’s song “Magkaugnay” goes…
Lupa, laot, langit ay magkaugnay
Hayop, halaman, tao ay magkaugnay
Ang lahat ng bagay ay magkaugnay
Magkaugnay ang lahat.
(C) 2015 by MINDANAO DAILY MIRROR, Davao City
