CHAPTER 2
DISCUSSION
What can the Filipinos
do to survive the worst case scenario?
Preparation
of Philippine Cult for the “End of the World”
The
Philippine Benevolent Missionaries
Association (PBMA) is
founded by Ruben Ecleo, Sr.
in 1965 on the Philippine
island of Dinagat, off the coast of Mindanao. Since being chartered in 1965,
the PBMA has virtually turned the entire island into a fiefdom of the Ecleos.
Upon the senior Ecleo's death in 1987, he was succeeded by his son Ruben Ecleo,
Jr. Considered by followers to be a reincarnation of Jesus Christ, Ecleo has an
estimated one million members in the Central and Southern Philippines. The PBMA
has been referred to as a real benevolent by the BBC
and
the Manila Times.
(Wikipedia.org)
Ruben Ecleo, Sr. was known to make predictions
based on "Akashic Records" that believed contains all the knowledge;
and is accessible by astral projection or under the influence of hypnosis. He continued
Messianic mystique and played a major role in on-going drama on Dinagat, a
part of the province of Surigao del Norte, Mindanao. (rickross.com)
Thus, in 2005, there was this
incident whereas people in Don Salvador, Benedicto (DSB) in Central Negros were
alarmed with the recent discovery of a huge underground tunnel at Spurs 13,
Barangay Bagong Silang that was allegedly dug by the members of the religious
cult, Philippine Benevolent
Missionaries Association (PBMA) led by Ruben Ecleo, Jr.
The
tunnel was discovered after some residents in Spurs 13 saw numerous laua-an
trees cut in the area. Hence, the residents in the area monitored the
activities of the dubious people for many days. Later, the people found out
that the dubious people were digging a huge tunnel in the area. As a
consequence, the authorities caught nine person including women that was also
using chemicals to test the earth of its mineral and metal
contents including gold.
Furthermore when those nine
people were interrogated, they professed that they are members of the PBMA. The
suspects also told that the purpose why they were digging was not for treasure
hunting but in preparation for the "end of the world" which according
to them will occur soon.
Thus,
the mayor of the area wanted to know what is inside the tunnel and how big and
long is it. But up to now, the authorities still do not know. In addition, the names
of the suspects were withheld. (icsahome.com)
Catastrophes
Likely to Happen
A.
Economic Meltdown
Economic
meltdown is a complete breakdown of a national, regional or territorial
economy. An economic collapse is essentially a severe version of an
economic depression, where an economy is in complete distress for months, years
or possibly even decades.
A
total economic collapse is characterized by economic depression, civil unrest
and highly increased poverty levels. Hyperinflation, stagflation and
financial-market crashes can all be causes.
(investopedia.com)
I.
American Prepper
“I’m prepping for a collapse of our
financial system that will mean the end of the world as we know it.” says
Kellene Bishop, The Gourmet Prepper
One
of the episodes of Doomsday Preppers in National
Geographic Channel featured Kellene and Scott Bishop who
are preparing for financial collapse in America; professing this would result
to End of the World. The economic crisis
seems to be a serious problem not only in America but also in some other riches
countries. Having another language aside from English is important for the
couple; to make discreet conversations when needed. In preparations for possible intruders, one
must know how to defend oneself and to secure all the belongings significant in
the worst scenario. Believing once a person is starving, stealing is the only
option.
Kellene and her husband lives in
Orem, Utah, surrounded by picturesque mountain peaks and strip malls. Kellene’s
drive for preparing comes from her faith as a member of The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which espouses the virtues of self-sufficiency and
preparedness. Though Kellene is concerned about a total financial collapse, she
believes it is appropriate to be prepared for any catastrophe to happen as
well. Hence, here is Kellene’s Ten Principles of Preparedness:
·
Spiritual- This category has everything to do
with belief system. It is where we draw on peace even in the midst of
chaos. It is also where we draw on knowledge and understanding of that
which is to come.
·
Mental
-This category has to do with our knowledge level, skills, and mental
rehearsals, for chaotic scenarios. This area requires constant
nourishment, education, and deliberate thought. Unless we mentally
prepare for a situation including self-defense, or mass chaos, or the fact that all hell can really break
loose, then we will be physically and emotionally paralyzed from being a leader
and a protector to anyone. The mental preparation is what prepares us in
spite of the crazy looks and comments we get from friends and loved ones.
·
Physical
-. Physical preparedness has to do with our physical strength and ability
to maximize our physical strength, such as the use of wagons or wheel
barrels, our ability to protect us and our family, as well as planning for any
necessary travel need.
·
Medical-
This includes having what we need for first-aid, solutions for our existing
medical needs, as well as sanitation.
·
Clothing/Shelter-
This category is a higher priority than food and water. I guess, for reasons that they have extremely
cold weather.
·
Fuel-
Our fuel should be usable on as many tools as possible, and every responsible
member of the family should be familiar with its use. It’s critical that you know how much fuel is
needed of the family. She recommends trying a day or two without electrical
lighting and going a whole week without using any electricity to prepare their
food— including the refrigerator.
·
Water
- Water is the only thing that will keep our organs functioning properly.
We need one gallon of water, per person, per day. That’s about
365 gallons a year to survive.
·
Food-
Be familiar with the food that you’ve stored is prepared to cook it without
electricity, and be sure that it’s nutritious.
·
Financial-
Anything more than $500 cash on hand is a waste, as a crisis will quickly make
money worthless. If we don’t have what we need, we will NOT be able to
buy it amidst a mob of crazy people who are unprepared.
·
Communication- This is the only area of
preparedness that focuses on reaching out to others. In order to be
prepared for communication in an emergency, we should have a very specific plan
of communication with our family and friends. We should have a specific
point of gathering agree upon for everyone to meet in the event of a
disaster.
Whatever happens, Keller along
with her husband wants to live a life of apocalypse in style; storing huge
quantities of food throughout the house with the gourmet meals. And unlike any
other person who prepares for “End of the World”, Kellene is very community
oriented; conducting rape prevention class which is about self-defense.
II. Filipino
Prepper
In
such an event like economic meltdown for a Filipino, doing the things that the
American prepper was doing would be such an expense. Expense in the sense that
first it costs time, space, effort, and above all money. Money because for a person
to store huge quantities of food; spending cash would be the first thing to do.
In
order to avoid those expenses, trying to cut down unnecessary expenses would be
of help. Here are some ways to do it so (pakalertpress.com):
1. Manage food costs: Only
purchase foods that you will eat.
2. Create a mini-store in your own
home and shop from your own supplies.
3. Become self-entertaining:
Read; watch; and find some puzzles that would bring joy in your life aside of
spending huge amount of cash.
4. Earn
extra income: Get a part time job.
5. Grow food: Practice square
foot. This would just take little space.
6. Avoid debt: Living with your means
is very important.
7. Have an escape plan: In any
catastrophe, a prepper should always have an escape plan (or “a bug out plan”).
B. Natural
Calamities
A
natural disaster is a major adverse event resulting from
natural processes of the Earth; examples include
floods,
severe weather,
volcanic eruptions,
earthquakes, and other geologic processes. A
natural disaster can cause loss of life or property damage, and typically
leaves some economic damage in its wake, the severity of which depends on the
affected population's
resilience,
or ability to recover.
(Wikipedia.org)
As of the results of the survey
conducted, all of the people agreed that if a catastrophe were to happen, it
would definitely be a natural calamity. Thus, the respondents were asked if
they were in that situation what would they do; the answers varied, from
stocking supplies to doing nothing.
I. American Prepper
"I'm prepping for a killer
earthquake that could completely flatten the city of L.A." says Christopher
Nyerges, The Street Survivor
Another
episode of Doomsday Preppers in National
Geographic Channel featured Christopher Nyegres who
prepares for a natural disaster particularly in Los Angeles; this person has
trained himself to live a life with what only land provides in the area of Los
Angeles which is the leading world center of business,
international trade, entertainment, culture, media, fashion, science, sports,
technology, and education.(Wikipedia.org) Christopher happened to live in the
streets; trying to do everything he can just to survive. Christopher uses
plants for different purposes such as for food and medicine.
Just
a little background of Christopher, since 1974, he has taken over 30,000
children and adults on his Wild Food Outings, Survival Skills Outings, and
other field trips and outdoor programs.
He has worked with such groups as Sierra Club, Tree People, Southwest Museum,
Boy Scouts of America, Elder Hostel, home schools, public and private schools,
churches, libraries, etc.
He is the author of 10 books, including Self-Sufficient Home: How to Go Green
and Save Money, How to Survive Anywhere, Enter the Forest, and Guide to Wild
Foods. He was the editor of Wilderness Way magazine for 7 years, and has
authored several thousand newspaper and magazine articles in such publications
as the Los Angeles Times, Pasadena Star News, Pasadena Weekly, Whole Life
Times, American Survival Guide, and others. (christophernyerges.com)
II.
Filipino Prepper
Living in the
streets is not a bad idea. Since, you would not spend any amount of money.
However, it is not advisable for a whole nation to do this. That is why here
are the alternatives (urbachletter.com):
Drinking Water. Water is absolutely essential to
survival. You can go without food for a month or more, but you'll get sick and
die from dehydration within a week if you don't have any water to drink. First
priority then is to make sure you have enough drinking water. Enough means at
least one full gallon per person per day, plus one half gallon per day for each
companion animal you want to keep alive. That's a lot of drinking water. For a
typical family of four plus a dog, that's 4-1/2 gallons times 3 days = 13-1/2
gallons (90 gallons for twenty days).
Health. It is important to take good care of our health; thus,
having a first aid kit and knowing how it works is a must.
C.
Grid Down
A
“Grid Down” event or situation is an event where the power grid goes
down. In other words, a blackout. Typically, Grid Down refers to a
widespread event and one where the power isn’t expected to be quickly restored.
A grid down scenario, then, would refer to any event that affects the ability
to generate power on a wide basis. Further, because the more serious of
grid down scenarios involve very long period before the power would be
restored, if ever, planning for it usually requires a combination of tactical
and strategic planning. (thepreparednesspodcast.com)
Thus,
this scenario was experienced in India. “ Reports of stranded passengers on
trains, traffic lights no longer working, and electric crematoriums shutting
down were only a small subset of the implications following recent power
outages experienced at the end of July 2012 for almost 700 million Indian
citizens. I am referring to one of the world’s worst power blackouts that
affected 20 of the 28 Indian states. Almost three weeks after the failure
of three of country’s five electricity grids, the government provided a report
to investigate the cause of the failure.” (gridinsights.energycentral.com)
I. American Prepper
"I’m preparing my
family for the total destruction of the power grid." says Tim Ralston, The Inventive
Prepper
Tim
Ralston is a family-oriented man. And is from Phoenix who started preparing and
by necessity along with his friend; there developed the Crovel, a self-dubbed
"swiss army knife of shovels". Once other people saw what Ralston had
built, it became an instant small business. Moreover, Tim has his own bug-out
vehicle whereas all the supplies needed are located; a yearlong food supplies
from canned beef and turkey to powdered milk and hundreds of dehydrated meals.
Aside from those supplies, Ralston also have stored guns; practicing the use of
it along with his sons. (channel.nationalgeographic.com)
II.
Filipino Prepper
If ever that kind of
scenario would happen, here are the things that Filipino could do
(popularmechanics.com):
1. Have a Flashlight: Having a flashlight is advisable
than buying candles since it is prone to provoke another calamity as well.
2. Be Prepared to Empty the Fridge: A freezer packed with
dry ice will stay cold for days, but it's tough to find dry ice at the local
corner store.
3. Shut Down Your Appliances: If
your power goes out, make sure you turn off all the appliances in the area.
