32.2 Pagbabasa - El Niño 32.2 Lesung – El Niño 32.2 Ανάγνωση - Ελ Νίνιο 32.2 Reading - El Niño 32.2 Lectura - El Niño 32.2 Lecture - El Niño 32.2 読書 - エルニーニョ 32.2 Lezen - El Niño 32.2 Odczyt - El Niño 32.2 Leitura - El Niño 32.2 Läsning - El Niño

**__(ni Rolando Tolentino, Pinoy Weekly, March 13, 2010)__** (by Rolando Tolentino, Pinoy Weekly, March 13, 2010)

Enero pa lang, tag-init na. It's only January, it's already summer. Kaliligo pa lang, pinagpapawisan na. Just taking a shower, already sweating. Iniisip pa lang kailangang bumiyahe sa labas, nanlalata na. Just thinking about having to travel outside, it's getting worse. Lahat ng ito ay sinisisi sa __**el niño**__. All of this is blamed on el niño. Na ipinagtataka ko dahil anti-bata ang isinasaad ng katawagan sa penomenon. Which makes me wonder because the nomenclature of the phenomenon indicates anti-childhood. Pamaktol-maktol daw kaya parang 'brat' na lalakeng paslit. They say that they grumble like a 'brat' boy.

Tulad ng pagsasaalang-alang sa paslit bilang esensyal na 'spoiled brat', kinakasangkapan din ang el nino bilang dahilan ng lahat ng kasalukuyang krisis. Just as the toddler is considered the quintessential 'spoiled brat', el nino is also being implicated as the cause of all the current crises. Madaling nakakita ng politikal na bukana si Gloria Arroyo. Gloria Arroyo easily found a political opening.

Ang el niño ang salarin kung bakit may krisis sa enerhiya ang bansa, na parang ang pangkalahatang supply ng power ay nakabatay lamang sa hydro dam. El niño is the culprit why the country has an energy crisis, as if the general supply of power is based only on the hydro dam. At dahil may krisis sa bansa — sa partikular, sa Mindanao na dumaranas na ng anim na oras na 'blackout' — muli na namang pinapalutang ang idea ng 'emergency power' ni Arroyo. And because there is a crisis in the country — specifically, in Mindanao which is already suffering from a six-hour 'blackout' — the idea of Arroyo's 'emergency power' is being floated once again.

Tulad ng nauna sa kanya, si Arroyo ay wala na namang masterplan para sa enerhiya, kasama ang paghahanap ng 'sustainable sources', tulad ng araw, hangin, at maging alon ng dagat. Like his predecessor, Arroyo no longer has a master plan for energy, including the search for 'sustainable sources', such as the sun, wind, and even sea waves. Imbis na ito ang tunguhin, ang direksyon ay pagsuporta sa planong 'coal plants', na ang panggagalingan ay mula sa pag-angkat ng batong uling sa Tsina, at ang muling pagbuhay sa nuclear, sa partikular ang Bataan 'nuclear power plant'. Instead of this being the goal, the direction is to support the 'coal plants' plan, which comes from the importation of coal in China, and the revival of nuclear, specifically the Bataan 'nuclear power plant'.

Ang el niño at ang pagsisimula ng 'power shortage' sa Metro Manila at Luzon ay nagiging susi rin sa failure ng eleksyon sa Mayo 2010. El Niño and the onset of 'power shortage' in Metro Manila and Luzon are also key to the failure of the May 2010 elections. Sa kaunaunahang pagkakataon, 'automated' ang bilangan sa eleksyon. For the first time, the election count is 'automated'. Ayon sa COMELEC, mayroong 'battery life' ang makinang bibilang na 16 na oras, at 11 oras lang ang laan sa pagboto. According to the COMELEC, the counting machine has a 'battery life' of 16 hours, and only 11 hours are allotted for voting.

Ang hindi sinasaad ay ang kulturang kaakibat ng 'blackouts', lalo na sa panahon, sa mismong araw, at matapos ang eleksyon. What is not stated is the culture associated with 'blackouts', especially during, on the day itself, and after the election. May pangkalahatang pakiwari ng agam-agam sa napakahalagang araw ng pagboto. There is a general pretense of suspicion on the all-important voting day. At hindi nakakatulong ang kawalan-kumpiyansa ng mamamayan sa pagiging sagrado at sikreto ng kanilang balota at karapatang bumoto kung may malawakang 'blackout'. And the people's lack of confidence in the sacredness and secrecy of their ballot and right to vote does not help if there is a widespread 'blackout'.

Ang epekto sa minimum, may resulta pero hindi lubos na katanggaptanggap dahil sa kontexto ng pagkapanalo. The effect is minimal, there is a result but not completely acceptable due to the context of winning. Parating kabuntot ang katanungan at isyu hinggil sa pagmamaniobra at pandaraya. The question and issue regarding manipulation and fraud is always a tail. Sa maximum, ang “no el” (no elections) at maging 'failure of elections' na scenarios. At the maximum, the "no el" (no elections) and even 'failure of elections' scenarios.

'No elections' dahil hindi lubos na nakahanda ang infrastruktura at personnel para sa 'automated voting' at 'counting'. 'No elections' because the infrastructure and personnel are not fully prepared for 'automated voting' and 'counting'. At wala rin namang malinaw na plano sa rekurso para sa balik manual na eleksyon. And there is no clear recourse plan for the return of manual elections. 'Failure of elections' naman kapag aktwal na may pagbotong naganap, pero malawakan ang kondisyon para makwestiyon ang ehersisyo sa liberal na demokrasya. 'Failure of elections' is when voting actually takes place, but the conditions are widespread to question the exercise of liberal democracy.

Sa dalawang scenarios, si Arroyo lang naman ang makikinabang. In both scenarios, only Arroyo will benefit. Mas tiyak ang katig ng kanyang namamayaning burukrasya para sa mga scenario na maaring maganap. His ruling bureaucracy is more certain in favor of the scenarios that may take place. At ito ang rekurso ni Arroyo sa pagpolitisa sa phenomenon ng el niño: gawing lubhang mainit ang panahon at kondisyon ng eleksyon, pero gawin din, tulad ng el niño, na wala nang magagawa ang mga tao hinggil dito. And this is Arroyo's resource in politicizing the phenomenon of el niño: make the weather and election conditions extremely hot, but also make, like el niño, that people can't do anything about it.

Sa kapaligiran ng UP at iba pang lugar, tuyot na ang damuhan. In the environment of UP and other places, the grass is dry. Matatamlay ang halaman. The plant will be sluggish. Ngayon ay may lamig pa sa umaga pero sa kalakhan ng araw, di lamang naglalaho ito, wala pang rekurso sa ibang maaliwalas na espasyo maliban sa 'malls' at 'aircon' na lugar. Today it is still cold in the morning but during most of the day, it not only disappears, there is no recourse in other airy spaces except 'malls' and 'aircon' places. Naisip ko tuloy na ang disenyo ng mga gusali sa bansa ay talagang makakanluranin. I then thought that the design of buildings in the country was really western. Kailangan ng aircon para magkaroon ng katiwasayan sa mainit na temperatura. Air conditioning is needed to have security in hot temperatures.

Kapag nagbro-brownout, madilim at mainit ang loob. When browning out, it's dark and warm inside. Walang klase, walang opisina. No class, no office. At kahit walang magagawa, hindi matiwasay ang pakiramdam. And even if nothing can be done, the feeling is not safe. Tahimik na nakakaalarmang magbilang ng sandali. It was quietly alarming to count the moment. Madalas tumingin sa relo habang nagpapaypay kahit hindi naman mapapabilis ang pagtapos sa 'brownout'. Often look at the watch while fanning even though it won't speed up the end of the 'brownout'.

Enero pa lang at mainit na. It's only January and it's already hot. At ang tanging maagang nakikinabang sa el niño ay ang pangulong nagpopolitisa nito. And the only early beneficiary of el niño is the president who politicizes it.