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Manila Bulletin devider Opinion devider Problem solving

Problem solving

Published May 1, 2024 04:41 pm

MEDIUM RARE

Jullie Y. Daza

It’s the same story every time, every year. The Manila airport’s cooling towers conk out when the foot traffic into its terminals outpaces the engines’ power to cool. At Christmas, even with a milder  weather but with balikbayans swarming in, and then again in summer, with the heat indoors and out turning oppressive, the a/c heats up, conks out just when you need it the most.


As the sun rises in the east and there are 365 days in a year, it happens and it keeps happening. The airport’s cooling towers can’t bear the extra load! Not at Christmas and not in summer. Well, those machines were bought 14, 15 years ago, so what should we expect? Whom to blame, then, if we need a scapegoat? The problem is that the people in charge of the airport don’t or can’t or won’t anticipate the problem; by not anticipating a problem there’s no problem to solve, for now.


A problem that recurs during the same time every year is hard or impossible to expect? Get me out of here! We don’t need geniuses running our airport, we need practical folks to solve problems before they happen, i.e., by anticipating them before they occur.


Should we blame the Department of Transportation or Department of Energy? It was President BBM who, ahead of everyone else in his Cabinet, came out with this advice: “Save energy.” Not so long ago, under another president, the then secretary of DOE took the trouble to advise the people, including and especially government workers, to wear light clothing instead of their business suits, and keep their a/c at 25C to keep cool without wasting power.


BBM’s advice was immediately followed by the secretary of Health and then a meteorologist of PAG-ASA: Stay in the shade and drink lots of water.


In California, where drought has persisted for a decade and a half, the people can take it on the chin because they have learned that with everyone following the rules, they can tame the dry spell. They water their gardens long after sunset, they don’t wash their cars using a hose, they take turns cleaning and filling their swimming pools. It’s easier than gnashing one’s teeth over a water service interruption!
 

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Jullie Y. Daza Medium Rare
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