gabe ulanday,
Opinion: When nature calls, but no one answers
Photo credit: Cyñl Tecsón
On April 30, 2019 a horrible beast was sighted, a Media Center staff member reported that a toilet on the second floor was clogged to the point that the bowl was gathering sediment and that a “large black beast” was floating in the filth. The Media Center member stated that the “horrendous vile smell” which emanated from the “beast” caused himself to “lose his lunch”. On May 3, 2019, Media Center staff reported that the “beast” was still there four days after first being reported, except now it was dissolved into a “chocolate milk” like substance.
Unfortunately, sightings of the “Bann Yow Beast” have been rapidly rising. Experts of the Media Center have attributed this beast to the UPIS’ water shortage.
Since the Manila Water Company, Inc, ran into problems with its water supply, many institutions and public buildings have encountered routine water disruptions. The UPIS academic complex has not been spared from this draught. As a result, hygiene together with sanitation seems to be ignored.
(For more information on the Water Crisis, see: http://upismc.blogspot.com/2019/03/opinion-wheres-our-water.html)
Due to the disruption, water pressure in the third and fourth floors of the 7 – 12 Building has been effectively neutralized. To address the students’ “earthly needs”, the Admin, according to Assistant Principal for the Administration, Prof. Portia Dimabuyu, has decided to cordon-off the third and fourth floor restrooms and place blue water bins in the first and second floor restrooms. “Noong tuluyan nang humina ‘yung tubig, nadesisyunan ng Admin na iutos sa mga janitor na isara na ‘yung mga toilet sa third at fourth floor.” (“When the water pressure weakened, the Admin decided to cordon-off the third and fourth floor restrooms.”)
According to Prof. Dimabuyu, the blue water bins were procured through coordination with the PTA Board. “Ang ginawa naman ng Admin ay naki-cooordinate sa PTA Board para maka-aquire ng malalaking bins para punuin ng tubig.” (“What the Admin did, was to coordinate with the PTA Board to acquire large bins to fill with water.”)
The administration, Prof. Dimabuyu said, requests the participation and cooperation of the student community to use the provided containers to assist in the maintenance of the cleanliness of student restrooms by pouring water into the used toilets to substitute or supplement the lacking flush systems. She also added, “Wala rin kasing kooperasyon ng some students…” (“There is lacking cooperation from some students…”)
Unfortunately, the Admin has noted a lack of cooperation from the student community. They have noticed toilets clogged by “nature’s call” due to the lack of manual flushing and excessive use without proper disposal of sanitary products such as toiletries and used sanitary pads. They were informed by the janitorial staff that students carelessly leave said products in the toilet bowl, on the floor, etc. further contributing to the overall situation of the restrooms. According to Prof. Dimabuyu, “Kahit may tubig, ‘di sila nagbubuhos, dahil hindi flush.” (“Even if there is water, they do not pour, because it is not the automatic type flush.”)
Several students were asked for opinion regarding the hygiene and sanitation of UPIS students when it comes to using the restroom. Their answers can be summarized in one sentence: It’s unhygienic for some students who are not responsible enough to manually flush their waste. Also, it is inconvenient for some since only the 1st and 2nd floor restrooms are available. In addition, school hygiene and sanitation are important since students spend most of their time at school, from 6 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon. According to a health staff, hygiene and sanitation are important because with the kind of restroom that the school has, it increases the health risks of students.
We are all responsible for the situation of the restrooms. If we do not make do with the manual flushing or dispose of our trash, the situation of the restrooms will continually degrade. Who will be negatively affected by this in the long run? Us, the students. What do we risk? Cholera and food poisoning comes to mind. With all these risks, why do we not flush our own waste down the porcelain throne?
Some students have stated that the provided water bins are prone to rapid depletion, thus they choose not to bend into the gallon to retrieve the low levels of water to flush with.
According to a Grade 11 student who requested not to be named, the reasons why some students exhibit such unhealthy practices is due to “laziness”. “Tinatamad ‘yung mga students kasi ayaw nila sa mano-manong pag flush. Kawawa nga ‘yung mga janitor na naglilinis sa kalat nila.” (“Some students feel lazy due to them having to use a manual method of flushing. I pity the janitors who will have to clean up their messes.”)
Is personal convenience justification enough for indolence? Besides the janitors are paid to clean the restrooms and pick up rubbish, right?
While there is a janitor assigned to each of the floors, Prof. Dimabuyu has stated that they are often overwhelmed by the amount of trash to collect and the number of toilets to unclog. “Kailangan ng kooperasyon ng mga estudyante, kasi hindi naman lahat kaya ng ating mga “ate at kuya” (Janitorial Staff). (“We need the cooperation of the students, as our comrades, the Janitorial Staff cannot deal with the situation all alone.”)
Cooperation is all that the Admin asks from the students. No one wanted this water shortage. No one wanted UPIS students to have to manually pour water to down their daily refuse. For all our sakes we need to cooperate with the Admin not because they said so, but because it is for our own benefit if we keep our restrooms in clean and sanitary conditions. //by Mariel Diesta and Gabe Ulanday
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