They have “proposed” solutions left and right. They have made their enlightened, enlightening “recommendations.”

They’re all experts and they have said a mouthful. After a while, their words will be like seeds floating in the wind. We will forget what wise course of action – action – they offered in their dream state. We will forget, and so will they.

The scale of destruction that covers Luzon and the National Capital Region is too vast to grasp in one digestible chunk. It’s simpler to imagine Laguna de Bay, or Laguna Lake, as the metaphor, the center of our suffering, the core of our problem but yet the promise of a solution.

If we could overhaul the lake and return it to its pristine state, hope might dispel despair.

Right now, it will take 90 days to drain the lake by unclogging shorelines, spillways, channels, waterways. Pasig River is swollen, said Ed Manda of the Laguna Lake Development Authority, because Laguna de Bay is swollen.

Typhoon Ondoy caused the lake’s 90,000 hectares to swell to 100,000, elevating it from 2.5 meters to 5.7. At the rate of 3,300 cubic meters per second, the waters rushing from Marikina river to Taytay, Taguig, Cainta and Pasig are equivalent to the discharge of three Olympic-size swimming pools per second.

At bottom, the silt comes up to 8.4 million cubic meters.

In sum, too much rain. But also: Denudation; “informal settlers” – make that illegal settlers; tons of garbage blocking the outflow. Every barangay captain, councilor and senator knows this already!

If only DENR Secretary Lito Atienza had police powers to arrest those responsible, i.e., irresponsible...

On a positive note, did you hear about the barangay captain in Quezon City who was mauled by his constituents for hoarding the relief goods meant for the typhoon victims? Hurray for the bayanihan spirit!