School kids in the metropolis have it easy nowadays. During my time (which was a long time ago) it should be storm alert signal number 1 for classes to be suspended in pre- and elementary schools; signal number 2 to encompass class suspension in high schools; and signal number 3 for classes in colleges and universities.

These days all you need is rain, rain, rain, which is not uncommon during the southwest monsoon season (June to September).

But rain in Metro Manila, storm or no storm, almost always means — floods.

Which leads me to wonder why we don’t have flood alert signals 1 to 3 (comparable to the typhoon signals 1 to 3) because, obviously, storm signals are inadequate ways of determining if classes should be suspended or not since these do not give a picture of the ‘flood situation’ across the metropolis.

I checked the website of Pagasa (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration). It’s supposed to have a ‘programme’ of flood alert warnings. Here is a partial screenshot of their flood alert page for NCR (National Capital Region) at 7.30 AM, Friday, 17 July 2009:

PAGASA Flood Alert page, 17 July 2009, 7.30 AM

OK, so they’ve a backlog of some three months and we could perhaps ‘blame’ once more our being supposedly a Third World country with poor equipment and little resources for the delay. Maybe we will get the flood situation for today, 17 July 2009, three months from now, that is, sometime October? Or with media pressure, perhaps in two months or in a month’s time even?

That is why, today, in lieu of the delayed and/or non-operational flood alert service from Pag-asa, this free May-Pag-asa-Pa-Ba flood alert service is being sent to all readers in Metro Manila. Flood signal number 3 means classes are suspended at all levels; work in government too.

Here’s another one of those delays:

Philippine Daily Inquirer, 10 August 2007

That’s news from two years ago, August 2007, from the head of one of our government ‘buruk-kasi’ (i.e., bureaucracy).

But I’m not spending the rest of this fine wet and cool day thinking further about the endless mess and horrors woven by the state ‘buruk-kasi’ in this country. Instead I have started imagining of ‘amphibious’ solutions to surviving Metro Manila living.

Here are some images ripped off from cool amphibious manufacturers international and freaking.news.

MASS TRANSPORT: To solve mass transportation problems during floods, maybe bus owners and operators should consider getting some of these:

Amphibious motorcoach

Amphibious motorcoach

BIG CARS: Those who love SUVs need not give them up:

Amphibious SUV

FOR ME: I think I’ll have the one below, but would go with a red or a black one:

Amphibious sports car

Amphibious sports car

And for STATE BUREAUCRATS and POLITICIANS: From freaking.news, this one takes the cake — the one I would recommend for all government officials, especially those appointed by the current administration. This amphibious vehicle is said to run entirely on flies (yup, in Tagalog, langaw)!

Amphibious vehicle ('for official use' only!)