Early this year, the drainage system in this portion of JP Laurel Avenue in Bajada was repaired. But I wonder why it’s still flooded whenever there’s heavy rain. There was a time that the flood water submerged the floor of Chowking. Some vehicles could not cross, too. They would turn around and look for other routes.

More photos here.

Is there really a rice shortage? What really went wrong with our food supply?

It’s been weeks already since the government announced that there is a ‘looming rice crisis’ and there is a need for us to import more rice stocks from other countries like Vietnam. Agriculture chief Arthur Yap blamed massive land conversion as one of the causes of the shortage of food supply. And who’s fault is that? Isn’t it the fault of the government?

It’s the government that allowed the conversion of thousands of hectares of agricultural lands into plantations, golf courses and for other industrial use. Just last year, the government has inked an agreement with China, which opened the country’s agricultural land for biofuel plantations.

Read Ibon report here.

Investments may not be bad as long as it would not sacrifice the basic needs of the people. Like in the case of biofuels, it’s also a threat food security. Opening of more biofuel plantations could lead to hunger as many agricultural lands and forests are being cleared to pave way for the biofuel plantations.

Is the government really sincere in resolving the food security problem of our country? Personally, I believe there would have been no ‘rice shortages’ had the government poured more support to the agriculture sector.

As I was surfing the web today looking for some interesting books to buy for this year, I stumbled upon this graphic novel written by Derrick Jensen and cartoonist Stephanie McMillan. Seems interesting for me. Aside from I also do cartooning (before and maybe until today), I can use it in my work. It’s very useful in raising awareness regarding the climate change issue today.

The book is published by Seven Stories Press and distributed in Canada by Publishers Group Canada, it will hit the bookstores in January. Hoping to get a copy of this one when it’ll arrive in the Philippines.

Climate change is not a myth, it’s fact. Even in our backywards, we can start mitigating climate change in our own means.

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While other parts of the country is facing the dry spell, others are also enjoying the rain and even are submerged in the flood. This is just one of the signs of climate change.

In Luzon, they are bracing for the looming dry spell while most of us here in Mindanao are rolling our trousers up to prepare for the street floods. In some areas in Luzon, the rice paddies have gone dry. But in other areas in Mindanao, some were washed away by landslides.

The water shortage in Luzon may also lead to power shortage. So what would this good government do to augment the power shortage? Shift to coal-fired power plant, that’s one of their options. But that’s a no, no solution. Coal is one of the biggest culprits of global warming. And yet our government is still eyeing it as one of the alternative energy sources.