The S. Llevares Blog

It seems there may be a few things we can do that may reduce our suffering when storms and floods come visiting:

1. Make it mandatory to install solar electricity systems (solar panels, storage batteries and power inverters) in all barangay hall buildings, barangay health centers, barangay gyms and refugee centers, radio repeaters, cell sites, and police and fire stations. The energy stored during the daytime will help ensure that during power outages, communications facilities and lights in government buildings can continue functioning, and cellphones, megaphones and searchlights can be recharged. Flares and other devices for use in similar emergencies should be made ready too. (It could help to have a survivalist's mind-set ahead of time.)

2. Barangays to set up large fishing nets or retaining ropes across rivers and creeks, say, every 300 meters or so along the length of the river. (Volleyball or tennis nets knotted together will do just fine too.) Each such trap or net can be withdrawn (untied at one end) as needed, to allow rescuers to extricate people and to let trapped debris proceed downstream and onward to the sea. Each can be reinstalled in the manner of a ship's mooring line (a leading rope is thrown and then pulled to the opposite bank).

3. This one is preventive but admittedly only an amateur's flighty idea. We know that a storm basically starts out as a low-pressure area on the earth's surface, and this lack of resistance from below causes condensation in the troposphere (about 17 kilometers overhead) to plop down on us as rain in torrents. It certainly causes a whirlpool-like action bearing down from above such as happens when we take the lid off the drain. All of this is obvious. Well, it's probably logical to expect that low-pressure clouds and pockets will disperse when acted upon directly with high pressure. We should try and create a ridge of high pressure then, to neutralize a storm. When a depression becomes a storm and enters our area of responsibility, PAG-ASA and the Coast Guard or Navy could send a vessel to the area of the eye of the storm -- where typically there are no winds -- and then launch a weather balloon from there (we have no rockets or missiles), bringing a special payload toward the troposphere. That payload will be courtesy of, let's say, ASG or JI (yes, the terrorist groups -- let them take part in heroic deeds), who might well be happy to put their improvised explosive devices (IED) to good use, for a change. (Aw, c'mon?) The explosives will be of just enough caliber to create just enough shock waves to disassemble and dissolve the storm clouds without harming us down below when the bombs are detonated in semi-quick succession (by remote control). The bombs should produce no shrapnel, only shock waves. ASG, modify your IEDs. Develop fine-splintering non-piercing casings for them, so there will be no large debris to cause damage to life and property when they drop to the surface.

Assuming this preemptive action has scientific basis and checks out to be safe and effective, then let's patent the method and technology so that when other nations decide to adopt the same, well, we can have them pay royalties. Better yet, make them forgive our country's foreign debt, which was already to the tune of several billions of pesos two decades ago -- meaning, even yet-unborn Filipinos are deeper in debt now than back then. (What a reality to face for a baby -- especially our grandchild's baby. I don't even have a grandchild yet, who, from the looks of it, might also have to pass on a burden of my and my father's generation's own making.)

[By the way, there was zero mention of what happened to the Bataan nuclear power plant during Ondoy. That project is probably a major item behind our foreign debt but wasn't used even a single day (reportedly because it was found to be sitting on a fault line, duh). Last time it was shown on TV, it was being eaten away by rust. We hope it wasn't totally submerged in the floods and that it became a refuge for some of the locals and finally had some vestige of usefulness.]      

The usual flood-control projects like spillways, dikes, and hydraulic barriers are big, expensive projects that take so long to plan and undertake. They will all be rendered unnecessary if we go the preemptive route and tackle the problem at the source, and it's almost sure to be cheaper -- if it works at all. Pop little bombs up there and, voila, goodbye, extreme typhoon. The big downside, though, is that it will require a lot of complicated protocols and coordination because the explosions and resulting turbulence may adversely affect very wide areas, several aircraft in flight, and terrestrial and satellite communications traffic. 

Yet, consider this. Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez is actually seeking Cuba's help to "bomb clouds" over drought-stricken areas in Venezuela to produce rain (presumably, simple cloud seeding by planes won't suffice). Their objective is the opposite to ours, but the approach is similar in that one can go ahead and explode bombs over one's airspace for purposes of changing the weather.

Alan, the youngest in the brood, just turned 20. Woowh. This is something. Maybe, like, Time is telling me in my face, "Hey, you're really fast getting on in years and still with nothing to show for it!" 

The "oldtimers" in our CFC community chapter recently gathered for a dinner with our U.S.-based sis Weweng Urgel-Regner (4th from left in top photo) in a reunion during her Cebu vacation with her son, Matthew. Our gracious hosts were Alec and Anne Boquiren at their home in Liloan. (Sis Anne is the tall, statuesque lady 2nd from right in top photo. L-R: Stella Suan, Helen Tecson, Maris Belonguel, Noena Regner, Tina Peñaranda, Phannie Ouano, Lynn Llevares, Helen Ramas, Anne Boquiren, Bing Arcete) 

It's evident that motherhood and parenting responsibilities haven't caused these cheerful souls to age much. If anything, their friendship has helped them blossom even more gracefully through the years. Wouldn't you agree?

The boys -- still their dashing selves. Faithful husbands. (Below, L-R, sitting: Verne Urgel with daughter Ma. Victoria, Dinan Suan, Alix Tecson; standing: Ed Ramas, Romy Arcete, Rey Peñaranda, Mar Belonguel, Alec Boquiren)

The clan's younger generation boasts of true musical talents who are professionals as well. Pedro Luis Lopez has played with bands on paying gigs. Charlton Seniedo completed formal guitar training. Kim Macasocol and Wilfred Dabucol are good vocalists. Jose Bernardo Lopez played organ in church during his seminary and college days. My own older son, Noel Martin, is a former YFC songwriting competition finalist.
 
 

Noel, a double-major University of San Carlos cum laude graduate, is at present an educator at Sacred Heart School--Jesuit. He's also something of a music whiz and plays rhythm guitar and keyboards.

Vida was awarded the distinction of having co-produced the year's best thesis as a psyc grad at St. Theresa's College. After working at Aboitiz Equity Ventures for a year, she's currently pursuing a masteral degree at the University of San Carlos. She has 

become a sought-after resource person for testing and training assignments at various schools and organizations. She also writes a wide variety of material for several international clients in order to support her postgraduate study.

                                                                                Alan is a scholar of Aboitiz Equity Ventures and is a 4th-year computer engineering student at the Cebu Institute of Technology. He's active in nonacademic programs as well and was sent to the Netherlands as CIT representative with other Cebu-based youths in a Ramon Aboitiz Foundation-initiated exchange program.  

It's good to take part in an auspicious beginning, especially a wedding. One becomes a cooperator in the divine scheme of things.

If given the opportunity to explore and develop our verbal and linguistic skills, we Filipinos generally easily excel in communicating in foreign languages, especially English. The success of the Philippine call center industry is only one proof of that. There are similar opportunities, such as dubbing, narration and voice acting, for which we can compete in the global marketplace. I've been seeking such opportunities lately.

These projects sometimes involve multiple voices. Fortunately, I'm able to turn to my immediate family (that includes my kids' friends) to fill the need.

Even though Flora and Noel are very busy faculty members of Sacred Heart School--Jesuit, they manage to find time to help out in the studio. Here's a sample recording with them for a U.S. health services company and an excerpt from a demo for a training series.

Migs Garcia finished college as one of the most outstanding students in the country, graduating from USC as an Economics summa cum laude. (He is shown here visiting a convalescing Vida with Alan and friends Cirille and April.) He is now a college instructor and is also undertaking postgraduate studies.
AneRos Baccay is a top Silliman psyc honors alum who now works for AboitizLand. Wife Lynn, of course, can be relied on for Tagalog voiceover work.


Click on the links in the text to listen to their sample voice clips (streaming audio).

One of my voiceover clients (through a content production agency) is MSN Arabia Mobile. At the moment, I supply the English voiceover for some of their weekly news videos on various topics. The videozine format of the site won't allow delivery delays on the part of voiceover providers.