Wherefore my love-hate relationship with scientists begins…
[Insert score: Dark Matter: An original piece designed to evoke emotions of uneasiness, quote from You Tube]
May 21, 2011.
I huffed and puffed up the three flights of stairs to the command and control center of the country’s Volcanology and Seismology Institute. Would there be scientists on duty today, a Saturday? I was worried, since an urgent matter was at hand. Finally reaching the top floor, I caught sight of the Engineer, a veteran scientist, standing at the very end of a long hallway.
Breathless, I chirped, Haluuu, Engineer, it’s meeee, Aphoooolz!!!
The Engineer looked up from the bunch of papers he’s studying. Ah, Jalandoni. Yes?
I told the Engineer that I needed to see the latest status maps of all active volcanoes in the country.
Sure, he said, he’ll get the print-outs, please wait at the lounge.
But … I insisted that my cameraman and I be allowed inside the Observatory instead.
The Engineer shrugged, so what else is new?, and gestured, this way.
The Observatory boasts of several dozen monitors, huge ones and tiny ones that looked like speech bubbles, flashing real-time tracking of volcanic activities.
Young scientists-in-training waved hello as the Engineer toured us around the ultra-modern monitoring booths.
So… what’s up? The Engineer faced me, folding both arms across his chest.
Well, I mean, just making sure we’re not, you know, on RED ALERT for any eruptions, or earthquakes, maybe…tsunamis…possibly…
No, no imminent danger, as you’ve seen, the Engineer countered, frowning.
I sighed… Sir, it’s– the world is scheduled to end. In ten hours.
The Engineer blinked.
Blinked again, but did not move.
Sir, let me explain.
♦
Of course we deny it now, but at that time, the fear was real, palpable, twitter went crazy, we all did.
To this day, I regret my doomsday notice to the poor Engineer who I never saw again.
♦
News organizations all over the world helped spread the word, naturally.
Doomsayers warn of the end of the world happening on May 21, characterized by disasters of a global scale. Family Radio President Harold Camping, the man behind the `Judgement Day, May 21 Campaign’ warns of cataclismic events happening on Saturday 6 p.m. PDT (Sunday in Manila).
“On May 21, there’s going to be a terrific earthquake, way, way greater than anything else the earth has ever experienced and that will be the beginning of judgment day,” he says.
Citing biblical references to the great tribulation, Camping, a preacher from Oakland, California, determined May 21 by putting together various dates and numbers from past events, starting with the great flood in 4990 BC, and using various multipliers paired with the Hebrew calendar.
So there.
♦
While experts– from astronomers to religious leaders– had already debunked this end-of-the-world scenario days before, many people were still on the edge of their seats, until the very last hour when the apocalypse was supposed to happen. And it didn’t.
And the man responsible for all the hysteria, Mr. Camping, was declared a fraud. The frightened lot ware angry but I can only imagine also relieved.
♦
End of the World was our top story that night on TV Patrol. Recently, I unearthed the clip from our archives and watched my story again.
There was Engineer touring me inside the Observatory. Maybe he’s retired? No longer willing to take crap from panicky civilians and… uhm reporters? I wish him well.
Then in my report I said something like this is a hoax blah blah blah…redeeming moment for me, I hope.
♦
Scientists in the Philippines are endangered species, more endangered than our tamaraws I think.
Will they suffer the same fate as our gentle friends, the dodos?
Here’s WWF’s Gregg Yan showing me how tigers are gunned down by criminals. Heartbreaking.
However, the few thriving Filipino scientists are nothing short of amazing.
Dr. Mahar Lagmay came home from his studies abroad and decided to save the country from drowning.
Thus Project Noah was born.
NOAH stands for Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards.
It’s no secret that the Philippines is right smack in the middle of the Pacific typhoon belt.
But flooding in Metro Manila has gotten worse, disrupting normal life, paralyzing trade and suddenly we’re back to square one, again.
Project Noah uses advanced technology so that geo-hazard maps are now accessible to the public, even to the not-so-techie public.
Imagine someone like me who,when I look at a subway map all I see are acupressure points …can now pinpoint the exact location where flooding will occur, from my laptop at home. Scientists need not apply.
I check out the cool features of Project Noah noah.dost.gov.ph and can play scientist. Easily.
The take away is, of course, the ability to make better decisions because my disaster responses are now backed by Project Noah’s scientific data. Should I evacuate? Where are the safer areas to transfer to?
Love it.
♦
By our scientists estimations, sea level in the Philippines will rise by 3 to 4 millimeters every year. Don’t let the milli in millimeters fool you, they say, because with our business as usual practices, milli will soon become centi and then, we can all just live in boat houses.
♦
Our scientists from the Department of Science and Technology wanted to take Project Noah’s success to the next level.
So they invented the Moses Tab, a tablet-like apparatus, built from scratch.
Each community, town, city, province will have a Moses Tab.
The Moses Tab serves as a communication device during calamities. It also has a user-friendly geo-hazard map for locating danger zones in real-time. Live teleconferences are possible with the Moses tab, especially when there is an SOS situation.
All Moses tabs are wired to each other and all data are transmitted to the National Disaster Management Council Headquarters. This way, everyone is connected, well-informed. Someone needs to be rescued, there are missing children in this town, that area has no food, still no electricity here…
♦
Noah and Moses eh. Hehehe. That on purpose? I asked the scientist.
Why we borrowed from the Old Testament, yes, the scientist replied.
Oh?
The scientist smiled, lowered his voice, said to my ear, We need all the help.
P.S.
The recent UN Climate Summit in New York gave me so much hope.
Hope for my country, for the earth, for our future.
Cheers!