Geohazards in Piddig, Ilocos Norte, Philippines
Geohazards in Piddig, Ilocos Norte, Philippines
Geohazards in Piddig, Ilocos Norte, Philippines
For the year 2050, the province of Ilocos Norte in Region I will expect the following
increase in mean temperature: DJF at 27.4°C; MAM at 30.3°C; JJA at 30°C; and SON at 29.2°C.
Ilocos Norte will also expect changes in the following seasonal rainfall: a decrease in DJF at 14.4
mm; a decrease in MAM at 127.4 mm; an increase in JJA at 1,337 mm; and an increase in SON
at 623.4 mm. Furthermore, the number of days with Tmax > 35 °C in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte
for 2025 will be 3,157; a total frequency of 7,425 dry days; and 10 days with rainfall > 300mm.
b. Based on PAGASA projections for your province, what are the implications of the
changes in the climate to your community, future profession, and your own lifestyle?
When we talk about climate change in our community, we speak as if this is a concern
somewhere far off into 2050. However, we are already living in it as prolonged and severe
droughts are getting worse every year, and hundreds of Ilocano farmers are affected. I cannot
begin to fathom how much worse it would be if the abovementioned changes will come about.
The province of Ilocos Norte has thousands of farms for agricultural use. Many Ilocanos rely on
fish, crops, and livestock for livelihood and food. If we reach 2050, there would be lesser of all
these by then. Since our province ranks second in providing produce for the nation, there would
be a weaker stock market and widespread famine reaching far across the nation.
In addition to attending to pets as a veterinary doctor in the future, I also plan to
specialize in helping livestock farming systems in our province, including pisciculture systems.
Needless to say, climate change will have adverse effects on my future profession. Although
animal feeding and genetics are effective ways to mitigate such problems, major stressors due to
climate change such as global warming, drought, and poor forage can render our attempts
insufficient. I hope that our government would proactively take heed of our calls while it is not
too late. If worst comes to worst, human activities will continue to hasten these imminent
disasters and I am certain that my future profession will be made more grueling, but I am also
certain that nothing will stop veterinarians from helping the community to make do with what
will remain of human and animal life.
As a regular citizen in the year 2050, I would not go so far as to say I will dread living
with the consequences of our contemporaries since I know we deserve what we will have
coming. The Earth has its natural routine of regulating itself and that could mean drastic changes
in our climate, but because of the people of our time, it has abnormally become worse. While the
climate will go south, my lifestyle as an evangelical Christian would come in handy as I can use
my conviction to reach out to communities, preaching and demonstrating the Gospel. Apart from
working, personally, this is how I would define the very essence of my lifestyle. It is in the day
of adversity, of trials, of suffering, and of tribulation that God uses us to share Christ’s grace and
call our fellows to repentance, for there is a greater promise beyond all earthly matters. Briefly
speaking, it is unfortunate that climate change is inevitable, however, my conviction believes
what is meant for evil can be used for good.