CHAPTER 2

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.