We Cebuanos are fortunate compared to Northern Luzon and National Capital Region residents who are still suffering from floods and landslides caused by typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng.

Never have we seen this many parts of Metro Manila flooded. Roads and houses were submerged, cars were swept away and sunk like paper boats by the strong currents, and residents were stranded on rooftops of not just riverside shanties but also houses in subdivisions. This came after Ondoy dumped a month?s worth of rainfall in just a few hours.

Reports show that parts of Pasig City and the provinces of Rizal and Laguna are still flooded. After weeks of Ondoy?s onslaught we can still see traces of the bitter experiences of Ondoy?s victims, compounded with mounds of garbage. Health officials fear an epidemic would hit areas ravaged by the flooding.

Clearly, what happened in the capital is a lesson for the rest of the country. It?s about the importance of waste management and reforestation, considering topography in land development, not clogging storm drains and waterways with garbage and illegal structures, among many things.

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In Northern Luzon, the landfall of typhoon Pepeng for the third time has caused massive flooding and landslides in Baguio City, Benguet, Cordillera, Pangasinan and other parts of the region, partly because of the release of water from dams, which have been almost filled to the brim.

As I watched the television coverage of the flooding and landslides, I could not help but cry and offer a prayer for our brothers and sisters in the areas that were hit once again by Pepeng.

More than ever, we pay forward the blessings God has showered upon us by sharing money and relief items with those who are suffering from the flooding and landslides. A lot of people there need help from fellow Filipinos here and abroad, so I hope we won?t tire of giving.

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As Cebu continues to enjoy good weather, we should now examine our own situation and act soonest to prevent flooding and landslides.

Number one in the agenda for our local government is the strict implementation of a waste management program, starting with the segregation of garbage at home and the regular collection of garbage.

Then we must clear our storm drains and waterways of plastics, Styrofoam and other rubbish, and strictly implement the ordinance prohibiting the throwing of garbage in creeks, rivers and drainage systems. A wider, well-maintained sewage system would also help a lot in preventing floods.

Waterways must be cleared of illegal structures that clog them. Informal settlers at rivers and creeks should be relocated and those areas must be constantly checked to make sure that no new shanties are put up.

We should seriously evaluate the massive development of Cebu City?s upland areas. Can we afford to clear the areas of their forest cover, exposing the hillsides to landslides and low-lying areas to flashfloods?

We should invite development but not at the expense of safety and environmental protection. We must pass an ordinance that would effectively regulate land development. Unregulated development of the city?s upland barangays spells big trouble in low places, especially in areas near waterways.

I think if we do what we have to do then Cebu City would truly be one of the mist livable cities in the world. But we must understand that it?s not entirely up to the local government. Each of us must do our part, starting at home. Let?s start thinking clean and green.

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The quarrel between the Capitol and City Hall has brought trouble to the recently renovated South Bus Terminal, which is run by the provincial government and located in one the most choked up areas in Cebu City.

City Hall now wants to collect tax from the Capitol?s operation of the terminal, especially now that every passenger has to pay P5 to enter the terminal to take a bus ride south. Every bus or mini-bus that uses the terminal has to pay P100. Then there are food concessionaires who also pay rent.

There is no question that the South Bus Terminal is part of the package of the Japanese loan-funded Metro Cebu Development Project in the 1980s. Thus it was originally the city government?s idea.

Before the unfortunate tiff, City Hall saw no problem with the Capitol?s running the terminal. But politicking and power-tripping between two big egos have turned it into a nasty game of one-upmanship, which does not bring any good to Cebuanos.

The worst casualty so far is the arrested development of the Capitol?s property in Banilad, Cebu City.

Well, it is hoped, although it seems like hoping for too much, that both City Hall and Capitol would set aside their differences to advance and serve the interests and welfare of their constituents.