paraisong parisukat 10/2

It is 83 days to Christmas, 51 to RC Paraiso’s silver jubilee. Tuloy ang Pasko even if Wall Street in America comes tumbling down. How things have changed! When we were young only Humpty Dumpty falls off the wall; only Jack and Jill come tumbling down. As for our jubilee, no less than our slimmer-smarter-sexier Pres. Bombet leads the fundraising for the celebration thru the D3780 car raffle; but we must all do our share.

the rotarian, R I’s international magazine, is becoming a favorite read. Could it be the new format?, the ‘better’ content?, or do I just have more time to read? If only I can get my copies every month (and not like every other month)? The October issue already promotes the 09 R I Convention in Birmingham that once hosted the 83

R I Convention. And the early selling is for good reason: participation (travel, lodging, registration, etc.) is costly even for clubs already in the UK.

There is no intention however to focus on money given the past two items so I’ll tell you something R I President D.K. Lee of Korea said also in the Oct the rotarian: As a child, his war-torn country was helped by many governments and organizations that put Korea “on a track of health, hope and economic growth.” Economic growth was matched by growth in Rotary club membership. D.K. attributes the latter to, firstly, the desire of Koreans “to help others as we were once helped ourselves … the other is the natural affinity of Koreans have for the values of Rotary: integrity, honor, hard work and fairness”. Now, this is getting eerie (not because it is 29 days to Halloween). We once were also once a war-torn nation. We were also helped by many governments and organizations (plus there was war reparation fund$ and reconstruction loan$). And we also have an affinity for the values of Rotary: integrity, honor, hard work and fairness. And ‘state of the nation reports’ always say that we are on a track of health, hope and economic growth. But we are not like Korea today – a great economy with a well-preserved culture, an international exposure in infrastructure-building, quality manufacturing and trade and a deep pocket from which to draw funds to loan to countries like Bangladesh, Angola and the Philippines. But there is also a South Korea and a North Korea. Ah! this is where we can also easily match Korea. We can soon have a South Philippines-cum-Bangsa Moro Republic if we immediately withdraw our under-supplied, under-fed and outnumbered army troops from Maguindanao. Then we can be like Korea! Now, you know why the rotarian is now my favorite read! But I digressed!

Back to the Rotarian, newsletter-wise, we share the tradition of singing in rotary that Harry Ruggles (Rotarian, not Harry Potter character, huh?) started in RC Chicago in 1905. We are lucky to have a ‘club song’ AND printed in our newslet. O, kanta na tayo! Another article in the Rotarian was a reminder of my former job: Kenyan Rotarians (assisted by Denver, Colo. clubs) providing potable water and showers to 150,000 residents in a Nairobi slum. A sidebar featured PDG Ken Grabeau, president of Pure Water for the World, that works with Rotary clubs to bring biosand filter systems to remote villages in Latin America. Each filter costs just 75 USD or about Php 3750 to build from indigenous material, and removes 96 percent of fecal pathogens (poopoo stuff?) 100 percent of protozoa (tiny boas?) and 50-90 percent of toxic matter (nakamamatay! like crossing streets, ano?)!

Now, why am I writing about these? Because advocacy for clean water resources is a thrust of Rotary. So here’s more: 1.1 billion people don’t have access to safe water; 4,000 kids die each day due to water-related (but preventable) illnesses; 4 miles a day is average distance that women in developing countries (DCs) walk to fetch water and many girls drop out of school to perform this task; by 2025, 2,000,000,000 people will live in drought areas; 500 cu. m./person/year – recommended level of water resources; in DCs, 90+ percent of untreated sewage and 70+ percent of untreated industrial wastewater is dumped in waterways; Americans consume 380 l./person/day, Europeans, 200 l./person/day, sub-Sahara Africans, 10-20 l./person/day; 50+ percent of hospital beds in DCs are occupied by people suffering from water- and sanitation-related (but preventable) illnesses. The Philippines is a DC.

Closer to home, about 90 percent of Metro Manila is served with piped water; only 15 percent are served with sewerage and sanitation; only 8 percent of waste water is treated, the rest go to the Pasig or other rivers enroute to Manila Bay or Laguna Lake; 11 million persons have access to water, wastewater of only 1.95 is fully treated; less than 10 percent of septic tanks are desludged and 65-75 percent of pollution in waterways is residential sewage. Many of our water lines and tubes for septic tank effluent are co-located in storm drains (kanal), that were designed merely to bring rain water or storm runoff to the river. So when it floods …