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BY ANGELICA LOUISE PFLEIDER
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‘Mariit ang tinion’
IF YOU were to describe how things in the Philippines are, you can liken it to Gotham City whenever the Joker starts one of his antics. Police and checkpoints can be seen wherever you turn. Though the days seem peaceful, there is a tense and pensive feeling in the air.
The crisis in Marawi, the Resorts World Manila incident, impending threats from North Korea and China, the extrajudicial killings (though this is a bit “old news” but still happening.) These are cruel wake up calls on how fine the line is between “peace” and pure, utter chaos.
People are more aware now that at any moment they could get shot or blown up. Though the authorities are taking measures to keep the security and peace of the community – drills, orientations, strict security policies – the safety of the community can never be 100 percent guaranteed.
A few weeks ago I attended a safety and security summit and that was where I learned about the different guidelines and procedures that must be taken into account during crisis management.
Have you ever noticed the mirrors guards roll under the cars when you drive into malls? I was one of those who would scoff thinking, “Please, how can they see properly? If I were to plant a bomb the last place I will put it is under my car.”
I brought this up during the summit and those belonging to the Iloilo bomb squad explained that ideally, guards must do a thorough search; open the trunk and have the windows of the car opened. However, the people themselves are not usually willing to cooperate. They cannot force the drivers to obey.
I think no matter how thorough the search is, there is still no guarantee that you can catch the perpetrator. I learned that you can only identify an active shooter for sure if that person pulls out his shotgun; you can only identify a bomb for sure if the black ticking bag gets left in the middle of the mall. Sometimes even bomb-sniffing dogs are not a guarantee. Criminals are getting smart. The more precautions we take the more ways they find to get around them.
All we can do is pray, be alert, and prepare ourselves for what to do when the situation calls for it (but also hope it never comes to that).
A few days ago when I passed by SM, people were being rushed out by the police and there were police cars. It turned out there was a bomb scare and according to the lady next to me on the jeep, it also happened once before. Thankfully both instances were false alarms.
Yes it is annoying how these sometimes cause inconvenience, but a little inconvenience could be what saves lives. Mariit ang tinion subong, it’s true. Dangers are popping up like mushrooms and there is only so much we can do to keep ourselves safe and prepared.
So the next time a guard slides that mirror under your car, at least you have the consolation that it’s a contribution to our public safety. It’s small, it may not even be effective, but at least it’s an effort to fight these dangers. (angelica.panaynews@gmail.com/PN)
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