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Sarihay in Focus: “El Niño Redux” by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo

Posted on May 11, 2015

(Fifth in an eleven-part series.)

“El Niño Redux” is an opinion piece penned by Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist Ma. Ceres P. Doyo. A reflection on the implications and causes of the El Niño phenomenon – which she also researched and wrote about nearly two decades ago – the article took home FPE’s first Sarihay Media Award for Best Commentary or Editorial Article.

The piece begins with the author reminiscing on her experience on crafting a comprehensive, three-part feature on the global weather event – an effort that earned her a science and technology award. 

A thermal image captured by the satellite, TOPEX/Poseidon, illustrating the 1997-1998 El Niño phenomenon. (Wikipedia Commons)

After nearly twenty years, she contemplated as she is faced with a second encounter with El Niño – this time projected to cover 2014 until 2015. With that, she reflected on how much has changed – for better or for worse – and how much has otherwise stayed the same.

For one, science and technology has evolved by leaps and bounds in terms of making information available to practically every living individual on the planet. This she realized as she compared her experience of having to do research on the subject at the time of writing last year, as opposed to how information was sought out and accessed eighteen years ago.

“But don’t we all wish that science and technology […] would also solve the world’s weather problems just as fast?” she mused in her piece.

“If they can’t, there is the consolation that they can at least be used to deliver the bad news and warnings pretty fast so that the world as we know it does not perish sooner but later.”

Doyo further goes on to reflect on the fact that while the El Nino phenomenon occurs naturally, how bad it gets is still a direct result of “how badly people have treated the areas that it will hit.” She writes:

It’s bad enough that a calamity of biblical proportion outside of humankind’s doing—literally the act of God—occurs. But when it doubles in severity because of uncaring citizens of Earth, we are indeed the worse for it.

…

Now scientists are saying that the El Niño event that occurs every 20 years or so could become more frequent, like every 10 years, due to global warming. We can now blame ourselves for its devastating frequency. Think about this: more severe and more frequent. A quadruple whammy. It’s not all God’s doing then.

In conclusion, she accepts the fact that we have brought times of extreme weather patterns upon ourselves. As people of a country so-often hit by severe natural calamities, she appeals for more proactive efforts from every individual to become more conscious of one’s actions in light of the health of the planet.

“Oratio imperata, our plea for divine deliverance, will have effects only if we buckle down to prepare,” she claims.

“Like Noah, we have to do our part.”

Climate change and the impacts of its manifestations to human society as well as natural ecosystems are among FPE’s key focus areas. Like Doyo, the Foundation works towards promoting collaborative, multi-sectoral action to address this matter, along with disaster risk reduction, for the good of Filipinos – especially those left most vulnerable to extreme changes in weather.

Read the commentary in full through this link.

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The Sarihay Media Awards was launched last February 2014 in recognition of the important role of the media in promoting awareness and better understanding of environmental and sustainable development issues among policymakers, decision makers, and the public. The campaign served as both acknowledgement and reward to those who deliver outstanding and responsible reportage of environmental news. The term "Sarihay" comes from the Filipino phrase, "Samu't Saring Buhay", which aptly describes biodiversity.