Filipinos amidst calamity

Watching the news, video clips and photos of flood in manila would send me shiver, grief and sympathy for my kababayans out there. Who would have thought a month’s worth of downpour in just 12 hours will cause flood water to rise as high as 2-storey buildings and drive people to their roofs, drenched and cold in rainwater, waiting for help while thoughts of not making it alive crossed their mind? The aftermath of typhoon Ondoy is heart-wrenching. Cars floating around like toys. Thousands fled from their homes as flood water rose up to the roofs of their houses. (I just couldn’t imagine the massive cleaning it would take to scrape all the mud when the water recedes.) Dead human bodies lying around in the corner, in the riverbanks and under the debris of fallen roofs. It is so heart-wrenching to see these people suffer.

Somehow I feel lucky for being spared from this catastrophic blow. But my heart goes out to all the unprepared victims of Ondoy. Nature really has its own way of getting back at us. Reminding us of our obligation in such unthinkable and disastrous way. Maybe our busy lives make us neglect our prime duties of preserving and taking care of our planet. Or have we been worshipping all our material possessions leaving our faith in God on the edge? 

For whatever reason there is, most of us are lucky to be alive and not sharing the same fate as them. But instead, let us make the most of our existence and do everything we can to reach out and help the typhoon victims. Donating food, medicines, old clothes or just anything and any means of alleviating them from this blow would surely go a long way. There have been a lot of organizations around the country who are putting up everything they can to help out. For this, I feel proud that amidst the crisis we’ve been going through as a nation or as an individual, the “Bayanihan” spirit is living within us. We are Filipinos, we are strong, and together, we can pull through this and surmount this calamity.