Paging Calamba and MERALCO!

Barangay Look in Calamba City has no electricity.

Surprised?

You don’t think that a barangay with around 200 families right in the heart of a city south of Metro Manila, Philippines, would be without power supply (for years) like it has been abandoned by God. How come?

I and my third-year college students in public relations at the University of Perpetual Help System-Calamba were to conduct our dengue awareness and prevention campaign at the Blue House on September 25 this year. Yes, that particular place at Barangay Look, Calamba City was originally called a Blue House when upon the wrath of the storm Milenyo which ravaged the country in 2006 and left major households without power for two weeks, local residents from different barangays in Calamba were relocated to the place and a blue tent was built to accommodate the affected families.

Mr. Nanding Gatdula, homeowners’ association president, said that they have asked the local government to at least give them a MERALCO post so any resident who may choose to apply for an electric current may do so.

What could be a consequence of non-electricity?

Residents confirmed one rape case of a teen-ager early dawn.

Photo caption: Ms. Maria Evelyn D. Morita (fourth from right) treats kids for an ice cream so they would not make noise while UPHS-Calamba faculty members, the Public Relations Class, third-year, and Ms. Rusela Noel, representative, City Health Office, Calamba City, Philippines hold a dengue awareness and prevention lecture-forum. UPHS joins the Department of Health in its dengue awareness and prevention campaign nationwide as dengue cases rise to over 70,000, resulting to over 500 deaths, many of which involved children. Venue was the Blue House, Barangay Look, Calamba City on Sept. 25, 2010.