Dignos, Angelique Paula Joyce
BSED- Social Science I
Estrella, Rea Mae
TTh/ 4:30- 6:00 p.m.
Remember Chona Mae? It was a year ago today
SHOOTING STRAIGHT By Bobit Avila (The Freeman) | Updated February 6, 2013 12:00am
Do you remember where you were exactly a year ago? If you’ve already
forgotten, today is the first anniversary of that 6.8 on the Richter Scale earthquake that
struck us in Cebu ten minutes before noon time… but it’s epicenter was off the town of
Guihulgan City. That quake resulted in the deaths of at least 13 people and destroyed
many houses because of landslides triggered by the earthquake and the destruction of
many roads and bridges along the southeastern coast of Negros Oriental.
While Cebu City did not suffer any infrastructure damage, the biggest thing that
happened to us in Cebu is the very embarrassing reaction by our fellow Cebuanos
especially after Malacañang issued a tsunami warning a full hour after the earthquake
occurred. It was then that as radio reporters were talking about the tsunami warning,
people from the downtown area started running towards the uptown areas.
Simultaneously, this also happened in Mandaue City. A simple look at the pier area
would have been enough to convince people that no tsunami was forthcoming.
But our people reacted like cattle with everyone headed to higher ground. My
daughter who was then working at the Marco Polo Plaza was surprised that all of the
sudden, the hotel lobby and grounds were full of people. It was only then that they
realized that it was a reaction to the tsunami alert issued by the student government
running things in Malacañang.
It was later ascertained that a fellow with a portable loudspeaker attached to his
motorcycle was shouting “Tsunami, Tsunami.” Later on, radio broadcasters changed
that to “Chona Mae” that this fellow was searching for his daughter Chona Mae. But the
joke was on all Cebuanos… because we all acted like the fools we are. You have to
accept that Cebu cannot be hit by a tsunami for the simple reason that we are
surrounded by the various islands of Samar, Leyte, and Bohol in the east, while Negros
Island lies on our western seaboard. The epicenter of that quake was a few kilometers
off Guihulgan, yet the quake could not trigger a tsunami because of the short distance.
Well, let’s charge all that to experience. But most important of all, we should be
on a high level of alert. Just the other day, Baguio City experienced a 4.5 in the Richter
scale earthquake which sent people scampering for safety. At this point, we should also
warn you that there are just too many predictions of massive natural disasters to
happen in the Year 2013, which is why we should always be on the alert and prevent
another embarrassment like what we experience last year.
Miscommunication sa Pagkakakilanlan
(Repleksyon sa “Tsunami na Chona May pala!” na issue )
“Laging nagwawagi ang taong may kalmadong pag- iisip”, ika nga kay Enzo ng
American TV show na The Vampire Diaries. Pero sa panahong kaguluhan at takot ang
nanaig sa puso ng bawat isa, makakaya pa kaya ang isang kalmadong isip na may
kakayahang kumilatis? O maiisip pa ba kaya ng tao ang magiging bunga ng kanyang
ginagawa kapag may puntong desperado na siya? O isang salita lang kaya ang
makapagdidikta sa isipan ng tao? Kapag dumating ang punto na hindi niya ito
mapagtanto ng maayos bunsod ng magulong kapaligiran kung kaya iba ang nahinuha
niya dito at nag- iba din ang pagkakaunawa ng iba dahil iba ang iyong unawa dito ay
taliwas sa kanilang sinasabi… domino effect na.
Miscommunication o ang maling interpretasyon sa isa o maraming pahayag ang
bunga ng domino effect na nauna ng nasabi. Ito ang rason ng maraming hindi
pagkakainindihan
na
dapat
sana
ay
naagapan
kung
maayos
lamang
ang
pagkakaunawa dito. Maraming aspeto ang nakakapagbigay daan sa miscommunication
tulad na lang ng maling pagpili ng mga salita tuwing nakikipag usap mapa- personal
man, text, o chat, maling pagbabaybay sa mga salita, o isang mensaheng hindi pa
dumadating sa dapat pagbigyan nito, at marami pang iba.
Isa sa mga halimbawa ng miscommunication ay ang naunang issue ukol sa
isang magulang na naghahanap sa kanyang anak na si Chona May pero dahil sadyang
may sariling paraan ng pagsasabi ang mga Bisaya sa kanilang mga salita ay naging
“tsunami” ang rinig ng mga tao. Kasabay kasi nito ang mga naunang ulat ukol sa
posibilidad ng tsunami sa mga lugar ng Kabisayaan at sariwa pa din sa alaala ng mga
Pinoy kung paano nilamon ng isang malaking alon ang ilang bahagi ng Japan kung
kaya nagkaroon ng mga stampede dito sa lungsod. Kalaunan, napag- alaman na si
Chona May nga talaga ang nawawala at hindi tumatawag ang magulang ng isang
malaking tsunami at walang nangyaring tsunami.
Kung iisipin, naging katawa- tawa ang naging pangyayari dahil nakita dito kung
paano kadaling makapasok ng maling mga impormasyon kung may masyadong
maraming iniisip ang mga Pinoy at isa na dito ukol sa isang tsunami scare.
Isa naman itong malaking katangahan sa panig ng pamahalaan at ng ahensyang
tumutugon sa pangangailangan natin sa panahon:
dahil hindi nila nabigyan ng
katiyakan ang mga mangyayari sa araw na iyon dahil wala naman talaga silang
makinarya para malaman ang eksaktong pangyayari
Kung mayroon lang sanang nakadinig talaga ng pagsambit ng magulang sa kanyang
anak.ay hindi na sana natakot ang maraming tao. O di kaya ay nagkaroon emergency
drills ang pamahalaan para alam natin ang gating mga dapit gawin.
Ganito talaga kapag may miscommunication: maling haka, maling istorya, maling
mga sabi- sabi kung kaya dapat mag ingat para hindi tayo humantong sa mga
sitwasyong di kanais nais.
"Drag Me Down"
[Chorus:]
[Chorus:]
Nobody, nobody
[Harry:]
Nobody can drag me down
I've got fire for a heart
Nobody, nobody
I'm not scared of the dark
Nobody can drag me down
You've never seen it look so easy
I got a river for a soul
And baby you're a boat
Baby you're my only reason
[Louis:]
If I didn't have you there would be nothing left
The shell of a man who could never be his best
If I didn't have you, I'd never see the sun
You taught me how to be someone, yeah
[Liam:]
All my life
You stood by me
When no one else was ever behind me
All these lights
They can't blind me
With your love, nobody can drag me down
[Niall:]
All my life
You stood by me
When no one else was ever behind me
All these lights
They can't blind me With your love, nobody can
drag me down