Accidents as eye-openers

Filipinos tend to be reactive rather than proactive. We only act after we encounter problems. We are not cautious unless damage has already been done.

These two separate accidents—first, when veteran actor Eddie Garcia tripped on the set while doing a scene for an upcoming TV series under GMA network, and second, when a portion of a road at the corner of Remedios Street and Roxas Boulevard in Manila collapsed due to a heavy 14-wheeler truck—should prompt us to be proactive instead of being reactive.

While it is true that nobody wishes for an accident to happen, we all know that we can avoid any untoward incident from taking place if we put safety first.

To be proactive, we have to take preventive or precautionary measures in everything that we do. We should also foresee problems that may arise in a certain situation.

In Eddie Garcia’s case, it’s a no-brainer that paramedics’ presence is indispensable in the location where the scenes were being taken. Had proper care and assistance been given, the actor would have survived the accident.

The road mishap revealed that the Department of Public Works and Highways committed some lapses, such as the lack of advisories on vehicle weight limits and the poor quality of our infrastructure. They should have utilized properly the budget allocated for it.

It is wiser to think of ways to prevent accidents from happening than to fix them when it is already too late. Simply put, prevention is better than cure.

These unfortunate events should serve as an eye-opener to all of us.

LEONARD KRISTIAN MESA GELACIO, leonardkristianmesagelacio@gmail.com