I am sure the destruction of the Manila Bay seawall this month has been the subject of comments by many newspaper writers. It should be recalled that this is the second time the seawall is destroyed in a space of two years, the first time being last year, 2011.
There is a small probability that the destruction was a random event that occurs once in a long time. There must be natural causes that increase in frequency, and in strength over time.
My own view of this destructive happening is that we must look further for a more complete understanding of the causes and effects beyond the material destruction of the seawall by strong wave action.
These natural causes — effects of climate change — have, in fact, been written about, and predicted by many experts. But who cares to listen to these experts? Not so many of our government officials really understand, much less appreciate, the predictions of climate change experts. In fact, many deny that climate patterns have really changed.
But if they care to listen, they should know that the sea level around Manila has been rising, a contributory cause of the seawall destruction.
It has also been predicted that one of the effects of climate change is the generation of strong storm surges. The seawall near the American Embassy is open to the southwest monsoon which, in August this year, became stronger as Typhoon Gener moved northwestward. Typhoon Gener and the southwest monsoon, in effect, developed strong storm surges that destroyed the seawall.
If one looks closely, he will notice that where mangroves exist along the coastal area parallel to the coastal road, the storm surges in 2011 and 2012 did not damage the seawall. This means that the mangroves at least helped reduce the force of the storm surges.
And some businessmen wanted to put up infrastructures that could have destroyed the remaining mangroves in Manila Bay!
We have to thank former Las Pinas Rep. Cynthia Villar and her friends for leading the opposition to the development of the area, and for making sure that the Environmental Compliance Certificate issued by the Department of Environment & Natural Resources (the Department responsible for protecting the environment!) was withdrawn.
In connection with the 2012 storm surge, newspaper reports of 20, 40, and 200 truckloads of garbage loosened by the storm from the sediments at the bottom of Manila Bay stand as evidence of the past neglect of the environment by Filipinos.
It took the storm surge to wash ashore the mass of garbage, which was supposed to have been removed by local governments and other government agencies as mandated by the Philippine Supreme Court a few years ago.
The main point is that climate change is real, and not an imagined phenomenon, and that the destruction of the Manila Bay seawall in 2011 and 2012 was due to climate change.
