Ah, some things never really change, do they? I remember, way back when I was a wee little idiot lad in high school, the same jokes, the same line of pestering but amusing inquiry and jest. Waterproof ba kami meyor? Fish ba kami, langoy langoy na rin? Nakow, ta ulom fish, ading.
This was a fond trip down memory lane, back when I was a dumb little idiotic child, who thought a little bit of rain was the end of the world, and who didn’t have the sense to look up announcements and went to suspended classes quite a few times. Back when getting drenched meant nothing in the face of youthful health and vigor. Those days, I would actively stand out in the rain because the cold of it — I love rain when you can be in it and get all wet and soaked and cold without getting sick, but alas, I am no longer possessed of that constitution.
Ultimately, I have lost my waterproofness, a decade and some change removed from that era. Hindi na fish yung ulo ko.
As someone who has made the same jokes and held the same grievances, this is one of those “issues” (as much as this is an actual issue, I personally think it is amusing but a non-issue overall) that I can truly understand both sides of.
I get it, you know. It is genuinely a concern, going out in this dreary weather. I remember soaking myself in the rain in Dagupan when I still lived there, and the warmth of that lowland city meant I could very easily do so without immediately dying of colds, and during the early years of my life here in Baguio, I could do the same.
But still, just because I was able to, with dumb luck, survive all of that nonsense, especially at a slightly more advanced age — it doesn’t mean we want to expose our children to that level of risk on a regular basis. So I understand the clamor for class cancellations. I’ve been a student, and while I’ve not been a parent, I’ve both lived through that desire and had relatives I’ve wanted to not expose to that kind of weather. Is it worth it to send them out an extra few days and get them possibly sick? Where is the tradeoff?
At the very least, the youngest and most vulnerable ought to be treated with an erring toward the safe side by far. High schoolers can endure a little more, and the general assumption is that the older you are, the more you can put up with, so I do get why we only closed classes for the youngest among us.
The argument of the meyor is that no, you are not waterproof, but we must make sure you are educated. And I love the intent behind this declaration, even as I understand why it does not come across as popular. I remember my own schooldays, and we did end up having to make up for those missed days in the form of school overtime. In some years, I remember doing as much as two extra weeks of schooling for these.
The point is that education is genuinely important; important enough that it is worth carrying some level of risk for it. It is the foundation of a way forward, and while we may all personally disagree with where the line for the level of risk is, as much as I generally distrust politico, I trust that these particular declarations this week were made in good faith.
This is one of those matters where I believe that both sides are coming from a place of genuine concern and good faith, and a matter where both sides are equally valid. In this one discussion, we all want the best for our children. We just disagree on how to get there.
So as unpopular as the lack of the suspension of classes is, I’ll give the mayor a pass. But I will join in the ribbing.
Ta ulom fish, meyor.
