[FEATURE] Amidst the dissonant whispers of the rain

April 03, 2024 | By Ma. Nicole Flores

Hours of heavy rain caused several cars to be submerged in floodwaters at City Camp Lagoon, Baguio City on March 27, 2024. Bombo Radyo Baguio Facebook/B. Reyes

As Holy Week draws to a close, an ocean of devout souls flock to ponder and present diverse sacrifices unto the Almighty. Yet, in the heart of this sanctified week, what calamitous irony unfolded in the City of Pines, disrupting the tranquility of this most sacred season? 

On Holy Wednesday, March 27, news broke of an unexpected event – a flash flood enveloped a village in Baguio City after months of drought. 

Joshua Agustin, a local from Baguio, recalled his experience of last Wednesday's rain, describing how it started around four in the afternoon and persisted until nightfall. 

"’Yung sa Burnham na dinaanan ko, may ilang inches na rin ‘yung height ng tubig. Doon na talaga na-soak nang todo ‘yung sapatos ko," he said. 

An eternity seems to have passed since the last incidence of rain in the City of Pines. Based on the recollection of the Baguio local, it has been four months since the sky bestowed rain upon the metropolis, perhaps in the fading days of November last year.

“Tapos may halong septic water ‘yung rain runoff which is a usual occurrence dito pag malakas talaga ulan,” JoshuaAgustin added. 

Moreover, in the past February, the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) documented ten fires, composed of forest and grass fires. The region’s Bureau of Fire Protection disclosed that over 300 hectares of forest have been consumed by flames. 

As they say, rain often symbolizes God’s love and blessings after drought, and the flood comes to cleanse the sins of the world. Dare we say that during the Holy Week, the rains we've experienced — not only in Baguio, but also in various places across the Philippines — were indeed blessings, following the months of a dry spell? 

Flood swamped the City Camp Lagoon due to a sudden downpour, causing several vehicles to float helplessly in the deluge. The root cause of the flooding was attributed to improper waste disposal. 

"We must dispose of our garbage properly to avoid clogging our canals and to prevent flooding," Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong said on his Facebook page. 

Or… perhaps El Niño and La Niña have a hand in all of this. As the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) suggested, the El Niño phenomenon in the tropical Pacific continues to weaken, yet there is a growing likelihood that it will persist until May, paving the way for the arrival of La Niña. 

Based on the National Weather Service, El Niño and La Niña represent the opposed spectrums of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO). This ENSO cycle directs the year-to-year variations in sea-surface temperature, precipitation patterns, air pressure, and atmospheric circulation throughout the equatorial Pacific Ocean. El Niño emerges as the warm phase of this cycle, characterized by above-average sea-surface temperatures, while La Niña emerges as the cold counterpart, signaling a chilling of sea-surface temperature. 

As per PAGASA, the transition to ENSO-neutral, wherein neither El Niño nor La Niña transpires, for the 2024 season is expected during April, May, and June, significantly elevating the probability of La Niña by 62%. 

Indeed, the twist of fate for Holy Week in the City of Pines: a flood amidst the parched embrace of the dry season. Can we still question if the rain is a blessing? In this case, I believe it is not because amidst the dissonant whispers of the rain, it unleashed a flood that disturbed the community. 

Well, rain, rain, go away. Come again another day... when it is your season to fall.