Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Why Filipinos keep getting married in flooded churches
Situated on the eastern shore of Manila Bay, Manila is the capital of
the Philippines, where over 13 million people live in the Metro area, one of
the most densely populated and flood-suffering areas in the world. Naturally, the
area is a floodplain with four rivers that act as natural water channels. Also,
as many as 10 typhoons hit the Philippines each year, making the island nation
one of the most vulnerable countries to tropical cyclones. Furthermore, human
factors, including overdevelopment, over-extraction of groundwater, insufficient
drainage systems, and the buildup of silt and waste in waterways, make the
metro area more vulnerable to flooding. For those who plan to have an event in
a week or so in advance, they can take the weather forecast into consideration.
But wedding ceremonies are usually scheduled months in advance. Also, funeral
services cannot be planned earlier than a week. So, sometimes, the bride and
groom have to wade through knee-deep water, and a casket can be placed on
stilts above water for their services in church. Will the Philippines relocate
its capital functions to a less crowded place like Indonesia did in its sinking
capital city, Jakarta?
Read the article and learn how vulnerable the Philippines’ capital is
to flooding.
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