The heat that we have been experiencing in the past few weeks has been terrible, for lack of a better word. Every time I go outdoors, between 9am-4pm, I feel like I’m going to get a headache from the scorching heat.
I used to prefer walking over taking a trisikad, especially when the place I need to go falls within my walking distance range, but with this heat, my walking range has been effectively cut to a fourth, compared to February, when there was still a hint of cool in the breeze, even if it was high noon. Now, the outdoors feels like an oven.
And to think we are not even feeling the worst of it in this country. Last week’s warning of a 50 degrees C heat index in Quezon City made me appreciate how fortunate are those living in the provinces, where there is still some greenery left to absorb the heat. But, if you come to think of it, being in a provincial area doesn’t really protect us from the heat, as the hottest recorded places in the country are usually not in the NCR. For this year, Butuan is one of the hottest cities, while in the past, it has usually been Tugeugarao.
With global warming in full swing and most of humanity still not doing enough to slow down the process, we should be bracing for even hotter temperatures.
For those who can afford it, that means getting better or more air conditioning, or if sustainability is a concern, then better insulation and improved ventilation becomes a must for the places where we live, work, or study. Our summers are not going to get cooler any time soon, so we will have to build or retrofit with the changing climate in mind. While we do that, we may also have to prepare for stronger storms and flooding too, because as we have experienced, that also comes with the standard climate change package.
This is fine for those who can afford to spend on improvements, but for those who cannot, or are dependent on government to properly do its job, like the country’s millions of school kids, there is basically nothing they can do but sweat it out.
Ever since the extreme heat warnings have been raised, well-meaning government officials have been giving all sorts of advice for Filipinos to deal with the weather. Hydrate. Wear loose clothing. Avoid physical activities during the hottest times of the day. Have an umbrella. In the case of the Department of Education, it advised parents, students and teachers of basically the same things and then also allowed classes to be suspended and moved to other modalities if it gets too hot. All these words that are supposed to convey concern are easy to say and cost nothing.
But because we face the reality that summers and the dry season are going to be hotter, it may be time for the DepEd to do less talking and more doing. For starters, they really have to reconsider this decision to move the school year so it aligns with the international schedule but unfortunately for our learners, sticks kids inside our notoriously cramped classrooms during the hottest months of the year. This was probably mentioned in passing while they were deliberating this move, but it looks like the people making the decision never really considered the effects of climate change, and that is why we now have school children melting in classrooms.
If DepEd is going to stick to that decision, then classrooms have to be made more summer-proof. The first order of business, which has always been an issue ever since anyway, is to make classrooms less crowded by building more of it and hiring more teachers. If new classrooms are going to be built, then it will have to be designed for the worst conditions that we are expecting. When it comes to the scorching summer heat: more insulation, more ventilation, more electric fans, less students. Statements of concern and recommendations for teachers, students and parents from DepEd officials are simply not enough.
The past few weeks have reminded us just how hot the dry season gets in this country, and the worst part of it is that if scientists are right (and they usually are), the coming years are going to be even hotter. That is something we will have to prepare for, or get used to. As individuals, we should be able to cope and make adjustments, depending on the resources available. However, for governments, it is something our officials will have to continuously work on. This isn’t just a concern of the DepEd that is responsible for the millions of students who will be in school buildings during the hottest times of the year, but also for all other government agencies that have to keep the impacts of a warming planet in mind.*
