As summer heat escalates, so does the mercury reading.

Expectedly, this Holy Week, we will be experiencing days in their most humid state, enough to make us want to either ‘jail’ ourselves inside air conditioned rooms, lounge on the veranda, take a trip to the resort of our choice or go to cooler places in the country like Tagaytay and Baguio.

For those who can afford it, a trip to Hong Kong, Singapore or even Europe and the United States is well taken. A lot of families here suddenly ‘disappear’ during the Holy Week to hie off to their favorite vacation city somewhere in the globe, only to reemerge when the heat of summer has supposedly subsided.

Notably, however, the most popular rendezvous of people during this season is the beach. Well, this is great, but only for as long as precautionary measures are carefully laid out.

Number one in the list of do’s and dont’s is safety. Okay, swim, but please - DON’T DROWN! It is foolish to plunge yourself in the water knowing you don’t even know the basics of swimming - and cannot even float! Don’t ever rely on the floaters or on somebody to save you - or that, anyway there is a lifeguard. For all you know, there are hundreds out there swimming, and the lifeguard cannot keep an eye on you all the time.

Here in my place, Bonuan in Dagupan City, there are many cases of drowning not only in summer but the whole year round. It has been found out that the structure of the coastal bed here is so irregular that while you would think you are only on the shallow part of the water, one step forward and you are plunged in sudden depth. There is also an observation that there are strong undercurrents that suddenly suction and pull you away  to the far deep section of the sea, that before you know it - you will be helplessly struggling to keep afloat, as you hold on to your dear life.

Next thing to consider is to avoid getting a sunburn. This is not only for the beauty conscious women. It is for everybody going out there in the open beach. It is a known fact that too much sun is harmful on the skin as its ultraviolet rays can inflict damage not only through discoloration but skin cell injury as well. As the skin is exposed to a dangerous level of radiation from the sun, there is risk of skin cancer, particularly to those who have fairer complexion.

Applying sunblock or sunscreen before exposing yourself to the sun is the best thing to do. These skin applications protect the skin from dust, dirt and sun’s radiation and act as ‘guards’ against harmful elements.

Avoiding exposure to the sun during certain times of the day (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.) is also one important way of keeping off yourself from the scorching heat.

God is good as He gave us life. And life is good as long as we know how to take care of it.