Docs warns flagellants from bathing on rivers

MALOLOS CITY—Medical doctors warned Bulakenyo flagellants from bathing on rivers to avoid inspection.

This is due to pollution on Bulacan rivers in Marilao, Meycauayan,Bocaue, Balagtas, Guiguinto which were declared as biologicall dead by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the Angat River.

As head of the Provincial Public Health office, Dr. Jocelyn Gomez told the STAR that bathing on rivers is not advisable especially for flagellants who have open wounds on their back.

Gomez cited the possibility of infection due to a number of unidentified pollutants in the province’s river systems.

 The was echoed by Dr. Roberto Ramirez of Bulakan who noted the possibility of getting infected by tetanus.

As a medical practitioner, Ramirez insisted that it is safer for flagellants to wash their wounds with soap and clean water.

He specifically suggested water distributed by local water districts and through available artesian wells.

However, many Bulakenyo flagellants are unwilling to heed doctors advise.

They noted that older flagellants used to wash and bathe on local rivers in the past.

However, the quality of water on local river systems has dramatically change in the last more than 20 years.

Back then local water flowing on local rivers were clear and clean, and rivers are teeming with fish and other marine life.

Today, local rivers in the province are polluted with solid waste not to mention effluents coming from factories and households.

This situation were affirmed by Governor Wilhelmino Alvarado and Vice-Governor Daniel Fernando.

In an earlier interview, Alvarado lamented that water in rivers in the province turned brown in the last 10 years.

He said that it was due to pollution brought by increasing population.

The same was echoed by Fernando who said that if rivers in the past were teeming with fish,it is now teeming with garbage.

He also lamented the damage brought by undisciplined garbage disposal on local rivers that turned it into garbage dump.  Dino Balabo