THE Year of the Water Dragon, which starts on January 23 will bring general luck and prosperity to the Philippines but because of a Disaster Star in the southeast where the country is located, it must be prepared for natural disasters during the year.

In a recent press briefing to announce the Chinese New Year festivities at the Mandarin Oriental Manila, its resident feng shui expert, Joseph Chau gave a preview of his forecasts for the coming year.

“The birthday of the Philippines is June 12, 1898, at 3:30 p.m. So the Philippines was born in an Earth Dog year, the month of the Earth Horse, the day of the Fire Horse and the time of the Fire Monkey. There are so many fire elements in the Philippines. In the Year of the Water Dragon, there will be an abundance of water. But what happens when abundant water and too much fire get together? They fight each other. But on the positive side, there is harmony because you need water to extinguish fire. So that means the Philippines will have good luck in 2012.”

The economy would face some challenges this year, he said, “fluctuating from time to time,” so businessmen are advised not to be “too stubborn” and to be “flexible in their work.”

The lucky businesses to engage in this year include lumber, fashion and garments, and publishing because all of these are ruled by earth elements.

“For the earth ventures to grow, you need water, isn’t it?” Chau said.

He said banking, the production of raw materials and mining “will face many challenges this year,” with the real-estate industry and the construction business slowing down.

“If President Aquino wants to push the mining business, he must organize [the regulations] well so he can attract good business. For real estate, if the property companies want to be able to sell their buildings, they must consult a licensed feng shui expert before constructing,” he added.

He also said that for the banking industry to expand, banks should adopt longer hours like in Hong Kong, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“If you are a businessman, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. is too short a time to complete your business, especially if you’re coming from abroad, and your flight comes in the afternoon.”

What Chau was most excited about, though, was the tourism industry. He said the sector would prosper if the country were promoted well.

On the heels of the newly launched tourism campaign of the country, the feng shui expert, who is a resident of Hong Kong, even declared “Chinese New Year is more fun in the Philippines!”

He said, “tourism is a water element, and can cool down the fire in the country’s sign. So President Aquino should tell the tourism secretary to do more promotions to encourage tourists to come.”

He suggested that the Philippines do away with visa requirements altogether.

President Aquino, having been born in the Year of the Golden Rat (1960), also has a lot of fire elements, and would need the water in the coming Dragon Year to “cool down. This will help him bring money luck to the country,” Chau said.

But he underscored the possibility of more rains, floods, earthquakes and “explosions” in the Philippines, especially in the southeast location, because of the presence of the Disaster Star in the southeast quadrant.

“These may happen in the months of April, October and January 2013. So I hope the government can prepare for these, and prevent them  when possible. They must make adjustments to avoid flooding.”

Most of the zodiac signs are lucky in the Year of the Water Dragon, except for those born in the years of the Dragon (1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012); Dog (1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006); Ox (1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009); Goat (1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991); and Rabbit (1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011).

The lucky colors of the year are gold, silver, white, sky blue, green, red, pink, violet, peach, orange, beige, yellow and brown.

The Chinese New Year festivities at the Mandarin Oriental Manila are among the most anticipated in the metropolis, outside of those in the Chinatown area in Binondo, Manila. They regularly attended by Vice President Jejomar Binay and his spouse, Dr. Elenita Binay, as well as business executives who work or reside in Makati.