ON Monday, August 19, at 12:30 p.m., I was at the Tagaytay Midlands golf course participating in the Women's Golf Association of the Philippines tournament. This is a yearly women's golfing event that takes place once a month for about six months in different golf courses during the rainy season.

I was already wearing a mask as the players who had taken off in the morning had communicated that there was vog (volcanic smog) coming from Taal Volcano in the vicinity. Indeed, the sky was overcast and threatened rain. Rain as long as it is confined to a drizzle and unaccompanied by lightning is tolerable in golf, and players continue playing.