Amihan

The northeast monsoon wind pattern currently blowing through our country that is reshaping the sand formations on the beach and making pump boat rides a stomach wrenching experience for some. Living beside the sea provides the blessing of listening to the waves sing along with the wind.

Because the waves are stronger and bigger at this time of the year, the pump boats plying the Santander, Cebu to Sibulan, Negros Oriental crossing use the barrio as an alternative landing site. The residents are given the chance to earn by ferrying passengers and cargo on their bancas to the awaiting pump boats anchored a stone throw away.

PAGASA Climatology and Agrometereology Branch Barangay Captain, Dr. Flaviana Hilario has predicted Amihan is likely to carry one tropical cyclone for the first quarter of 2006, along with other weather systems tail end of cold front, easterlies, and high pressure system. Amihan is expected to dwindle by April and will be replaced by habagat (southwest monsoon) by May, signaling the onset of the rainy season.

As our weatherpersons predict the weather using current weather conditions and known patterns, can the "political persons" predict the incoming political condition?

A week from today, Sen. Rodolfo Biazon has revealed his intention of adding to the strength of the winds that blow political controversy over the highest public office in our land. The amihan wind seems to get stronger with the wave of scandal after scandal striking the shores of the armed forces.

At present, it seems that the supreme sacrifice must be made not by those in power but by the masses who must regain the power in a scenario of if we sink we all sink together. If the first round of habagat wind of impeachment blew itself out, the growing amihan winds of change will blow till the rebirth of a second habagat wind of impeachment.

So we continue to breath the air that is being blown and, hopefully, after all the stinking and dirty linen have been washed, the fresh winds of change sweep the country toward achieving our potential as a people in a land Nature so richly blessed. Let us try to end with a smile.

It was a new year, and the Filipinos on the archipelago asked their new Barangay Captain if the amihan was going to be cold or mild. Since he was a new Barangay Captain in a modern society, he had never been taught the old secrets, and when he looked at the sky, he couldn't tell what the weather was going to be.

Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he replied to his tribe that the amihan was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the barangay should collect wood to be prepared. But also being a practical leader, after several days he got an idea. He went to the phone booth, called the National Weather Service and asked, "Is the coming amihan going to be cold?" "It looks like this amihan is going to be quite cold indeed," the meteorologist at the weather service responded.

So the Barangay Captain went back to his people and told them to collect even more wood in order to be prepared. A week later he called the National Weather Service again. "Is it going to be a very cold amihan?" "Yes," the man at National Weather Service again replied, "it's going to be a very cold amihan."

The Barangay Captain again went back to his people and ordered them to collect every scrap of wood they could find. Two weeks later he called the National Weather Service again. "Are you absolutely sure that the amihan is going to be very cold?" "Absolutely," the man replied. "It's going to be one of the coldest amihans ever." "How can you be so sure?" the Barangay Captain asked. The weatherman replied, "The Filipinos are collecting wood like crazy!"*