Official Government Open Burn Pit

Did you know that LGUs in the Philippines do not have access to official or appropriate incineration facilities?  Take a look at this story. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1194896

An estimated PHP1.4 million worth of undocumented table eggs from Bantayan Island, Cebu were confiscated and burned by quarantine personnel upon arrival at Bredco port here earlier this week, the City Veterinary Office (CVO) confirmed on Friday.

The shipment of 240,000 pieces or 8,000 trays of eggs arrived in this city on Jan. 5, records showed.

“The permit of the shipper has already expired and no other pertinent documents were also presented,” Dr. Maria Agueda de la Torre, city veterinarian, said in a statement.

The shipping permit is being issued by the Bureau of Animal Industry-National Veterinary Quarantine Services Division (BAI-NVQSD).

Last December, the Negros Occidental provincial government and the city government have jointly prohibited the entry of live birds and poultry products such as meat and eggs from areas affected by the highly pathogenic avian influenza or bird flu, particularly Luzon, Mindanao, and the neighboring islands of Panay and Guimaras.

Negros Occidental has a PHP8-billion poultry industry and is among the top poultry-producing provinces in the country.

However, Bantayan is the province’s traditional supplier of table eggs, with some 7.4 million eggs even brought in from the neighboring island in December, records of the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO) earlier showed.

As part of the enforcement operations on the poultry ban, composite teams from the PVO, CVO, Department of Agriculture, and BAI-VQS Western Visayas (Region 6) are being deployed in the city’s major ports to prevent the entry of prohibited and undocumented poultry products.

In Western Visayas, the ban covers the Panay Island provinces of Iloilo, Capiz, Antique and Aklan.

Exemptions are allowed for raw poultry meat, both processed and unprocessed; day-old chicks and hatching eggs, including broiler, layer, and breeder; and embryonated eggs, popularly known as “balut.”

These commodities will be allowed entry regardless of shipping origin subject to compliance with requirements.

The gist is that eggs were imported illegally and were disposed but look at the picture!! Instead of properly disposing of these eggs, which could have various pathogens, in a proper incinerator they are being burned in the dirt outside! They were then buried.

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1953192/bacolod/local-news/victorias-mayor-expresses-dismay-after-seized-8000-trays-of-eggs-worth-p14m-destroyed

VICTORIAS City Mayor Javi Benitez expressed dismay after the confiscated 8,000 trays of eggs worth P1.4 million at Bredco Port in Bacolod City on February 5 were destroyed.

City Veterinarian Ma. Agueda dela Torre said Friday the confiscated eggs were transported from Bantayan, Cebu, to the Bredco Port.

She said the driver of the truck failed to present pertinent documents to transport the eggs, adding that the confiscated items were burned and buried at the Bredco Port grounds.

Dela Torre said this is in compliance with the joint executive order of Bacolod City and Negros Occidental that safeguards the province from avian influenza.

Not only is open burning illegal and unhealthy, THE STINK!, but it could be that some viruses survive to make their revenge. 

This is just another Philippine fail but it does not stop here because when it comes to medical waste and confiscated drugs it appears that the Philippines does not have proper incineration facilities anywhere in the nation.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1551204/pandemic-sheds-light-on-medical-waste-disposal-woes

Data from the DENR showed that as of June 30, 2021, the total generated health care waste in the Philippines has reached 634,000,687.73 metric tons. The department also emphasized the country’s lack of treatment, storage and disposal (TSD) facilities, which are requirements in handling the mountain of medical wastes being generated every day.

“Our TSD facilities are not enough to cater to the health care waste generated nationwide,” said Visminda Osorio, DENR-Environmental Management Bureau assistant director, in September last year.

Osorio said there are currently only 10 TSDs capable of treating medical wastes in eight regions—Central Luzon, NCR, Calabarzon, Ilocos Region, Bicol Region, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas and Northern Mindanao.

“Right now, what we are doing is those health care waste facilities are advised to do the initial disinfection prior to disposal, and part of the regions that have no TSD facility, they do it through safe burial or concrete vaulting within the premises,” she added.

Instances of improperly discarded medical wastes had been around even before the pandemic.

In 2019, authorities discovered medical wastes like used syringes, kidney trays, chemical bottles, tubes containing blood samples, and several gloves near the shores of Barangay Ibo in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu province.

The DENR in Central Visayas had to scour the seas around Mactan Island for more hospital wastes.

A year before, medical wastes—syringes, dextrose bottles, vials and biological waste—were found floating on a creek at Barangay Taloy Sur in Tuba town, Benguet province.

Tossing medical waste into the ocean is not just gross it is unconscionable. 

Take a look at what one town did to stop the spread of African Swine Fever. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1197470

More than 200 kilos of frozen and other pork by-products have been confiscated from public markets in this capital and nearby Valencia town of Negros Oriental province amid tightened measures to prevent the entry of the African swine fever (ASF).

Dr. Alfonso Tundag, quarantine officer of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) here, on Wednesday said the confiscation on Tuesday was just the beginning of similar activities to ensure that the province will remain ASF-free.

Joint teams from the BAI, provincial veterinary office, and local government unit (LGU) took down from the shelves and confiscated “unauthorized” frozen and processed products like longganiza, chorizo, hotdogs, and siomai, manufactured on Feb. 8 or earlier.

By this, he meant those that did not have labels, product and manufacturer information, and list of ingredients, with most of them coming from Cebu province.

The confiscated items were treated with chemicals and buried.

Isn't that great? They buried allegedly tainted meat and treated it with chemicals before covering it with dirt. Now the sound is poisoned. And who knows how that will affect the water table. The fact is local governments need access to proper incineration facilities. If not then there will continue to be dire environmental consequences as in the two examples above. 

Two Burn Piles at the Hall of Justice

This is going to be rather straightforward. The title says it all. There are two burn piles at the local Hall of Justice.

Maybe you cannot tell that these are burn piles but they are. Littered about each mound are the charred remains of leaves and garbage. I even confirmed it by asking two employees who were sitting out for a smoke break.  Think of the irony here that the groundskeepers at the Hall of Justice are breaking the law when they do their work. That would be R.A. 9003 which forbids open burning of waste. 

Burning Electrical Wires

I was out for an afternoon run when the sky darkened and I knew I had to return home quickly before the downpour began. On the way back I saw smoke emanating from the sugarcane fields ahead and I figured they were simply burning the fields as is normally done after a harvest. But the closer I got I could tell something was off.

For one thing the smoke was thick and black much unlike the smoke of a burning sugarcane field which is thin and gray. For another thing the smoke was concentrated in one area. It was obvious someone was burning something they should not be burning. When I finally got a look at the burn pile I was shocked beyond belief.

They were burning a jumble of electrical cords! 

There was a man sitting in a truck and a guy who seemed to be about 14 or 15 tending the fire. I asked him why he was burning electrical cords. He said because he was poor and his family did not have money to pay for his tuition. I asked if someone paid him to burn these cords. He said no. That did not make any sense so I pressed for more information but to no avail.

He also apologized profusely and killed the fire by tossing water on it. 

I was sure they would dump the charred wires in the field but when I returned a few hours later there was nothing but a pile of ash.

The guy in the truck never said a word to me as I talked to his son. I presume that is their relationship, unless he was the one paying the guy to burn the cords.

Anyway, this incident was very bizarre and I was completely disgusted. This is not just burning leaves or garbage at your house. These two people drove off to what they thought was a secluded area, it is not, and illegally and foolishly burned a huge mass of electrical wires. And it's really not about the law. No one in the Philippines cares about the law anyway. These people would not have been fined or jailed even if the PNP had witnessed their crime. The point is the ethics of it. You just don't do this. You do not burn electrical wires out in a sugar cane field. If you don't understand that then you are a lost cause. Allow me to present to you the shopping cart test of civilization which works on the same principles.

Can you pass this test?

Dagupan Fire Follies

Fires in the Philippines can be an awful sight. One spark and a whole shanty town can go up in smoke. Recently a fire in Dagupan City razed 60 houses.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/03/30/fire-in-dagupan-city-leaves-60-houses-razed/

Around 60 houses were gutted by a fire incident at around 12:15 noon today, March 30, in Sitio Riverside, Barangay Pantal, this city.

Fire Superintendent Georgian Pascua, BFP Pangasinan fire marshal, said the fire was put out at 2:02 PM.

 

The fire quickly spread from one house to another as they were made of light materials and are built close to each other.

 

Firetrucks from Dagupan BFP, Panda fire volunteers, City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office immediately rushed to the scene but initially had a hard time getting near the incident.

It's just like so many other fires. The fire spreads quickly because the shanties are built out of light materials and are close to each other and the fire department has a difficult time getting near the scene because everything is close together. You can't navigate a firetruck through a shantytown. It's like a warren.

Duterte's lackey Bong Go helped these people out by distributing face masks and computer tablets which is kind of strange because these people need homes not computer tablets. Where would they store such devices anyway?

https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/04/16/news/regions/pangasinan-fire-victims-get-bong-gos-assistance/864197/

SEN. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go’s outreach team distributed assistance on April 13, 2021 to 124 families (476 individuals) in Barangay Pantal, Dagupan City, Pangasinan, who lost their homes to a recent fire.

The beneficiaries received meals, food packs, masks, face shields, and vitamins in a distribution activity conducted in batches while complying with necessary health and safety protocols to avoid the further spread of Covid-19.

“Let us first follow the government. Observe social distancing, wash hands, and if it is not necessary, do not go out of your homes,” the senator reminded the victims.

Wow! Great advice. Let us first follow the government? Do not go out of your homes?  Their homes just burned down!! What is Go even doing? If anything shows that Go is just for show and is nothing but a propaganda tool for the Duterte administration it has to be this stupid display.

The city had a slightly better offer than Bong Go for these newly homeless people. They gave each family materials to rebuild their shanties.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1136911

The city government here has distributed construction materials to the fire victims following the donation drive, Sagip Dagupeño, participated in by individuals, officials, and organizations.

 

Each of the 79 house owners composed of 126 families received on Thursday 100 hollow blocks, 10 bags of cement, 12 tin roofs, nails, bulbs, and electrical junction boxes to start rebuilding their houses.

 

In his speech during the turn-over of construction materials, Mayor Marc Brian Lim thanked the donors who are from Dagupan City and other towns and cities of Pangasinan.

 

“They brought clothes, foods, medicines, hygiene kits, and other needs of the fire victims while they stayed at the evacuation centers,” he said.

Two things here. First of all there are 79 house owners composed of 126 families!! That is an average of almost two families per house. Bong Go gave assistance to 476 individuals. Don't forget that every one is packed in tight. Toss in the inevitable chickens, dogs, cats, and maybe even a pig as well as problems with proper sanitation and you have quite a jam-packed filthy mess.

Second of all the city is allowing these people to repeat the same mistakes. They are allowing them to rebuild this dangerous shantytown wth the same lightweight, flammable materials. They are just asking for disaster. Hopefully another fire won't start but that is not likely. It is the essence of failure to knowingly allow the same mistakes to be repeated.

Major Fire Hazard In A Popular Local Mall

Ever since a popular local mall opened its  doors a few years ago there has been a major fire hazard right at the entrance. When you walk in you are greeted with a huge set of stairs which are flanked on either wide with escalators, one going up and one going down. The stairs cannot be used as they are obstructed at the top and then bottom by vendors.

Sometimes you cannot use the escalators either as they are under repair. The second set of stairs is around the corner in the back. While it is a hassle to have to walk way to the back just to go upstairs that hassle is not the real problem with this situation.

The real problem is that this obstruction is a blatant violation of RA 9514 which is the Philippines' Fire Code.

SECTION 8. Prohibited Acts. ‑ The following are declared as prohibited act and omission: 

a. Obstructing or blocking the exit ways or across to buildings clearly marked for fire safety purposes, such as but not limited to aisles in interior rooms, any part of stairways, hallways, corridors, vestibules, balconies or bridges leading to a stairway or exit of any kind, or tolerating or allowing said violations;

https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2008/12/19/republic-act-no-9514/

Why were those stairs built in the first place if they aren't going to be used? If there was a fire there would be no easy way out. People would crowd the escalator, if it wasn't being repaired, or they would have to flock all the way to the back of the building to the other set of narrow stairs.

How can this mall pass a fire code examination when this set of stairs has been illegally obstructed since the beginning? This situation has been ongoing for 4 years now. One can only speculate as to what transactions are taking place behind the scenes to the detriment of the public but we can be confident that such activities are taking place. If not then the fire inspector is either blind as a bat or ignorant of the fire code!

Barangay Suba, Cebu City vs Provincetown, MA or Packin' 'em in Like Sardines

On February 26th, 2020 a horrible fire broke out in Barangay Suba in Cebu City.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/290703/259-houses-razed-in-cebu-city-blaze

An early evening fire in Barangay Suba, Cebu City displaced hundreds of families after it razed 259 houses in a residential area in Sitio Santo Niño, Barangay Suba, Cebu City at past 7 p.m. of Wednesday, February 26, 2020. 

Senior Fire Officer 1 Novo Erana of the Cebu City Fire Department, said that they estimated the damage to property at P1.5 million. 

Meanwhile, Erana said that initial investigation showed that the fire started at the second floor ceiling of the house of a Jerry Cabido. 

Because of this, they were verifying Cabido’s information and they were investigating the start of the fire to have been caused by faulty electrical wiring. 

Based on Cabido’s statement, they heard a sparkling sound and then they started to smell a foul odor. 

Erana said that the Cabido family after seeing thick smoke coming out of the second floor of their house, ran outside their house. 

It only took a few minutes for the fire to eat up the second floor of the house of Cabido, which was made of light materials and the fire spread to nearby houses as well.

The final tally showed that the fire actually burned down 311 houses and displaced 638 families affecting 2,851 people altogether. 

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/290794/close-to-3k-individuals-displaced-in-suba-fire

The fire that broke out in Sitio Sto. Niño in Barangay Suba in Cebu City displaced close to 3,000 individuals.  

Latest data from Suba Barangay Hall showed that the fire last Wednesday evening, February 26, 2020, burned down 311 houses, and displaced 638 families or 2,851 individuals.  

Most of the people who lost their homes are now staying in three nearby evacuation sites – Pasil Sports Complex, Suba Sports Complex, and a barangay-owned covered court.  

One of them is Susana Cortes, a 60 year-old sari-sari store vendor, who is now appealing for government officials to provide them financial assistance so they can rebuild their houses.  

“Hopefully they can provide us financial assistance so we can build back our houses. We have no other places to think of staying,” said Susana.  

Susana’s two-storey wooden house in Sitio Sto. Niño, Barangay Suba – which is just a few meters away from the seawall that separates the village and Mactan Channel – was totally damaged.  

Susana said her family of 10 only managed to save their own lives, and several of their clothes.  

They are now staying in Suba Sports Complex as they wait for clearance from the city disaster to rebuild their house.  

Suba Barangay Captain Jojo Sable said Cebu Daily News Digital in an interview that the city government has started providing food and other basic needs to the victims. 

“What they really need right now is food and basic necessities such as blankets,” Sable said. 

He also said the victims can rebuild their homes since most of them have lot titles as proof of ownership. 

The desire to rebuild your burned down house even if it is a flimsy wooden death trap is understandable. Be it ever so humble there is no place like home. But take a look at what constitutes home for these 2,851 people.

https://twitter.com/cebudailynews/status/1232877966163529728

These aerial photographs from Cebu Digital News show the extent of the damage. They also reveal that these 2,851 people were packed in together like sardines! People weren't the only occupants of this densely populated death trap.  There were also animals.

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/290807/in-photos-barangay-suba-fire

Dogs? Sure there were probably scores of them. Most definitely chickens too. But PIGS!!? In the middle of this cramped, tiny barangay in the middle of Cebu someone was raising PIGS!! Imagine the smell and the absolute filth that permeated this barangay. Where exactly did the pig manure go? Not to mention all the liquid and solid leavings of the dogs, rats, cats, chickens, and humans. And 2,851 people were squeezed into this place calling it home.

The government would be absolutely foolish to let these people rebuild. They were foolish to allow these miniature lots to be sold and "homes" to be built on them in the first place. One spark and the whole thing went up in flames. These shanty towns in every city in the country pose a danger to everyone who lives in them as well as to nearby residences and businesses. Not only fire hazards pose a danger but also the deteriorated health conditions which comes with having so many people in one tight place. Foul air, polluted still water, litter, animal wastes, they all contribute to the spread of disease.

Now let's compare Barangay Suba with Provincetown, Massachusetts in the USA. Situated on Cape Cod this small town has a population of 3,000 people not counting the busy summer months when tourists flood the area. Here is what Provincetown looks like from the air.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provincetown,_Massachusetts

It is rather hard to find a complete aerial picture of Provincetown because it is spread up and down the coast. What a difference from Barangay Suba with it's narrow streets and people stacked on top of one another. There are no piggeries in this town and it is doubtful dogs run loose. The air in Provincetown is also not a choking miasma. In short there is room to breathe and live. If a fire breaks out all 3,000 people will not lose their homes. Provincetown has had its share of fires most notably in 1998.

https://www.capecodtimes.com/news/20180209/looking-back-on-whalers-wharf-fire

The fire destroyed 16 businesses in the Whalers Wharf complex, including owner Dale Elmer’s The Handcrafter store. Most of the Crown & Anchor Motor Inn to the east was destroyed, including three businesses. Smoke and water damaged Marine Specialities, a store to the west of Whalers Wharf. 

The accidental electrical fire was caused by multiple space heaters in the caretaker’s room, according to Jennifer Mieth, a spokeswoman for the state fire marshal’s office. 

The former movie theater, built in 1919, had been converted into artists stalls with leather, jewelry, seashells, pottery and more for sale. A psychic gave readings. A restaurant served food. In the makeshift setup inside the mall, extension cords ran under carpets and behind cabinets throughout the complex, according to the fire investigator’s report. 

But despite the unsafe physical conditions, Elmer drew artists and potential artists to him with encouragement; a willingness to sell their work in his own shop; the $3,000 summer rent in the mall, with utilities included; and the ability to offer work to tide the artists over during the winter.

From another source we read:

Wooden buildings crowd close together in this small fishing village and art colony, where the streets are just 22 feet wide, including the sidewalks -- so narrow that firefighters had to remove parked cars to reach the blaze. A stronger wind might have spread the flames to the entire historic street, officials said. 

“I hate it when there are fires down here,” said Provincetown firefighter Mike Smith. “The whole town could go up.” 

As it was, some embers drifted inland over the tops of the buildings and set a grass fire near the Pilgrim Monument three blocks away, and residents with garden hoses doused the steeple of an adjacent church and other buildings. 

“We’re lucky it wasn’t a conflagration,” said Allen Gallant, who climbed atop the steeple with a hose. “The buildings down there are so old and so close together.”

https://www.southcoasttoday.com/article/19980212/news/302129960

The similarities between the recent fire in Suba and the Whalers Warf fire in Provincetown are many. Both fires were the result of electrical conditions. Both areas were in unsafe physical condition. Both fires rapidly spread to nearby buildings which were built close together. The firemen were able to get it under control. However the whole of Provincetown did not go up in flames because it is spread out unlike Suba. 

The people of Provincetown rebuilt and so will the people of Suba unfortunately. 

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/290807/in-photos-barangay-suba-fire

What will the people of Suba rebuild except the same wretched hive and warren which was destroyed by one spark from a faulty electrical connection? The city of Cebu should not allow this barangay to be rebuilt as it was. Cities across the Philippines should tear down these dangerous shanty towns. 

That is in fact what Marcos ordered to happen back in 1977 in his Letter of Instruction no. 555 which was to institute a nationwide slum improvement and resettlement program (SIR).

4. The Local Government staff shall formulate a 3-year, a 5-year and a long-term on-going program for the improvement of slums and blighted areas and shall integrate these plans with the development plan of their city/municipality and with the efforts in housing of the National Housing Authority. The local city government is hereby directed to submit within 60 days from the constitution of the staff its Three-Year Plan to the National Housing Authority. 

5. The program shall isolate each blighted area, and the local government through its staff shall formulate a project plan for the improvement of each area. The National Housing Authority is hereby directed to issue guidelines for the formulation of plans for improvement of areas.

https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1977/06/11/letter-of-instruction-no-555-s-1977/

In effect the program was created in order to clean up the slums. What was the result of this program? The many slums of the Philippines forty-three years later tell us it was a failure. It turns out Barangay Suba is an SIR classified area.

Mayor Edgardo Labella said he will ask the NHA to give P30,000 each fire victim, the same amount it give to the Mabolo fire victims. 

He said the city government is also giving each house owner P20,000 while P10,000 for renters and bed spacers. 

The mayor assured that there is no lot problem in the area and that the fire victims can rebuild their houses anytime. 

“There is no problem with the area, there is no lot issue because this is an area already classified by the slum improvement and resettlement (SIR),” said Labella. 

The city government, however, is looking at the possibility of reblocking the area to ensure emergency access. 

“These are already designated spaces since they are SIR, but nonetheless we will have to look into that so that if there is another fire dili ing-ana kadaghan ang ma sunog,” said Labella. 

One of the problems encountered by the fire responders during the incident was the lack of emergency access. The fire department received the fire alarm at 6:15 p.m. but it took more than two hours to control the blaze.

https://www.philstar.com/the-freeman/cebu-news/2020/02/28/1996754/suba-fire-victims-get-cash-aid-city-nha

Expanding further on the problem of lack of access we read the following from another article.

The over 600 families displaced by the fire in Barangay Suba, Cebu City can rebuild their homes under one condition.  

A setback should be implemented. 

This as Government officials from Barangay Suba and Cebu City plan to implement a setback in the affected area, which means that new structures that will be built in Sitio Sto. Niño should be at least a few meters away from the sidewalk. 

Jojo Sable, Suba Barangay Captain, told Cebu Daily News Digital in an interview that there is a need to reclaim the sidewalks in their barangays. 

“A lot of houses have already encroached the sidewalks in our barangay. We are now coordinating with the DWUP (Division of Welfare for the Urban Poor) to iron out more about this matter – including the required distance between the sidewalk and the houses,” Sable said in Cebuano.  

Houses rebuilt with setbacks are usually erected at least five meters away from the sidewalk.  

Sable also said the need to reclaim their sidewalks is important so that firefighters will have easy access in case another fire breaks out in their village. 

“When the fire broke out, we observed how some houses have even covered the canals which are also one of the paths firefighters should have access to when there’s fire,” he added. 

Just a week before the fire broke out we read that Barangay Suba was in need of massive road clearing.

Barangays Suba and Pasil with huge public markets are expected to need massive clearing operations in their barangay roads

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/288935/probe-willing-to-assist-barangays-in-road-clearing

Taking a look at the photos above there does not seem to be any sidewalk to speak of. Despite the fact that the government was told 43 years ago to clean up and improve the slums it is highly likely that if Barangay Suba is rebuilt it will be done in the same claustrophobic manner. That is just how it is in the Philippines. 

Picture of the Week: Under Repair

Apparently the fire department forgot there is a nationwide 911 emergency system. If your house is on fire in this town you better be sure you know what number to call or your it's going up in smoke!

Grass Fire

Shortly before noon today a fire broke out in a grassy field near the highway as the result, I am told, of someone tossing a cigarette butt. Whatever the cause the hot and dry conditions of summer allowed the fire to spread rapidly.

While there may be a 911 system in place it was the Barangay Hall which was called and who alerted the fire station. Since it was only a small grassfire a two man team with a water truck arrived and bravely extinguished the blaze.

Here are they are after returning to the station. I did not get their names.

Their battle against the blaze lasted eight minutes but I have drastically sped up the video and added an abridged section from the William Tell Overture for the soundtrack.

Remember, don't litter.  Don't toss bottles and trash out of your car window and absolutely never toss a cigarette butt into the grass. 

Neighbour's Smoky Pile Ruins Church Service

I had to leave church early this morning because someone who's property is adjacent to the church started burning leaves. Looking towards the origin of the smoke you could tell they were probably burning them right against the wall. This church, like many in the Philippines, is virtually outside being barely protected by a roof and two walls. It's just too hot and the too expensive to have A/C blasting through a huge sanctuary.

Why? Why do that?  Why burn your stuff against the wall?  Or the house?  Why not do it in the middle of big dirt space where nothing else can catch fire? Take this lady for instance:

This is not the smoky pile form this morning. This is only an example.

Why would you do this? It makes no sense, is dangerous, and it makes your little garden look disgusting.

The Bible says: 

Revelation of John 15:8: And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

But there was nothing glorious about this smoke. It was more like this:

Proverbs 10:26: As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him.

Just plain disgusting. A sting to the lungs more then eyes though. Thankfully it was the end of the service with only one more song and the benediction to go. So I went. 

"I Shoot Your Dog"

Nice title right?  I shoot your dog. Yes that is what he told me with a smile. "I shoot your dog." How did I end up in that situation?  

I woke up around 1 pm after a short but powerful nap. The kind where you wake up still tired. The stench of smoke filled the room. All the windows were shut but the wind was blowing so hard it pushed the smoke all around the air, forcing some of it through the cracks. What a stink!

It was time to take the dogs out for their walk so I figured I would try to find the source of this overwhelming smell as we walked. Outside the air was gray and hazy. It was obviously a large fire but looking in the direction of the usual suspect's houses I saw nothing. So I leashed up three of the dogs and went out searching.

These are the dogs. When they go out they like to run and jump and sniff wherever their nose leads them. They are not hard to reign in but they can be rambunctious. We walked one street up and there was the fire. Quite large. I got close enough to take a few pictures when the big black dog wandered over to the guy overseeing the fire to take a sniff. I immediately yanked the chain and pulled her toward me. That's when he said it. The first time.

"Hey what you doing? I shoot your dog."  

You could hear the calm smile in his voice. He wasn't angry. He was being factual. 

"You going to report me?", he kept asking. "Why you taking picture?"

"It's so beautiful", I said sarcastically motioning toward the flames.

After that the dogs and I left the street and continued on our walk. But the confrontation really began to bug me. This person just threatened to shoot my dog and asked if I was going to report him as if to say, "Go ahead and report me. I shoot you too!"

The more I thought about it the more I realised I should do something about this guy. It would be no use reporting him. The cops simply do not care. I settled on taking a video and uploading it to the internet. Not that it would do anything but two still photos was really nothing.

I returned the dogs to the house and walked back to the fire to shoot a few seconds of video. My reappearance was most unwelcome but I stayed my ground and took a short video of the fire which was in the process of being doused.

If you listen very closely towards the end this guy, whose name I am told is Joemarie, says, "But don't bring your dog." If I had kept the camera rolling he would have finished that thought with, "Or I shoot your dog!" I really regret having turned off the camera so soon before he could say those fatal words.

But at least I got his picture.

Smoky Piles 3

When you leave the house be sure to bring a sweat rag. It also functions as an air filter. Just press it tight against your nose and breathe slowly until you get to fresher air. Of course fresh air is a relative condition in the Philippines because it's all polluted.

Smoky Piles 2

Filipinos love to burn leaves and trash.  They will leave that pile smoking and stinking up the air all day long making it impossible to open the windows. Heck that smoke even seeps in through the cracks of the window panes making it impossible to get away from the poisonous stench! Why do they do this?  They will say it gets rid of mosquitos. What a lot of baloney!  Here are a few pictures of some very noxious smoky piles.