Perhaps because the offensive haze, (smoke from the forest fires in Indonesia) which has reached Davao and Cebu, has not reached the noses, lungs, trachea, esophagus of the denizens of Malacañang, the government has done nothing decisive about it except issue a couple of press releases informing those affected to use face masks, and announcements that it has alerted government hospitals. The smoke is so thick that some children in Davao are coughing from it, while many more experience breathing problems and irritated eyes and nose, according to news reports. The haze has been described by those affected in Davao and Cebu as follows: It is as if your neighbors are burning giant mounds of dried leaves ten meters from your window with the smoke billowing in your direction 24 hours non-stop daily.
Tell the Malacañang spokesperson to try wearing a face mask to cope with that.
Indonesia is once more in violation of the ASEAN Haze Agreement or the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, to which Indonesia is a signatory. While this agreement is toothless in the sense that there is no proviso for sanctions for violations, the agreement created a Secretariat that can convene representatives of the signatories to find a way to enforce the provisions, which may include relief, reparations, and yes, sanctions as may be resolved by the contracting parties, against Indonesia.
At the very least, the government should deploy a team to the affected areas as soon as possible for the purpose of collating data in order that a report (if not a complaint) could be filed right away with the ASEAN secretariat on the haze agreement.
If the smokers in Malacañang do not care about the air they breathe, surely they have family members who are children, elderly of frail health, pregnant women sensitive to pollutants, and friends who have allergic rhinitis, asthma, and other respiratory conditions.
If you do not care about the children, worry about the long-term effects of inhaling smaze on everyone.
Our prayers for the passengers, and the family and friends of the passengers, of Flight MH370 Malaysia Airlines.
News peg: Malaysia Airlines official warns relatives of passengers of Flight MH370 to brace for the worst.
*** ***
Family members of the passengers of Flight MH370 should not sign any document without the assistance of a lawyer.
Under the Montreal Convention amending the Warsaw Convention, the following are the minimum legal obligations of Malaysia Airlines in the event of injuries or — heaven forbid – deaths:
“Montreal Convention: Article 17 – Death and injury of passengers – damage to baggage
“1.The carrier is liable for damage sustained in case of death or bodily injury of a passenger upon condition only that the accident which caused the death or injury took place on board the aircraft or in the course of any of the operations of embarking or disembarking.
xxx
“Article 21 – Compensation in case of death or injury of passengers
“1. For damages arising under paragraph 1 of Article 17 not exceeding 100,000 Special Drawing Rights for each passenger, the carrier shall not be able to exclude or limit its liability.
“2. The carrier shall not be liable for damages arising under paragraph 1 of Article 17 to the extent that they exceed for each passenger 100,000 Special Drawing Rights if the carrier proves that:
xxx
The classic definition of airline “accident”, in Saks vs. Air France, is any occurrence “caused by an unusual or unexpected event or happening that is external to the passenger” – it includes terrorist attacks or crimes on-board.
*** ***
blog admin’s note:
THE “LIKE” BUTTON HAS BEEN DISABLED FOR THIS POST.
