11-19-2013, 02:27 PM
Thank you for your words of kindness and solidarity. We here in RR are based mainly in Manila/Quezon City (which is in Luzon, the large northern island of the country), and some from Davao (which is in Mindanao, the large southern island of the country). Typhoon Haiyan, or Yolanda as we call it locally, hit the Visayas region the most (which is the large island in between Luzon and Mindanao). So as you can imagine, the majority of us were spared from having to actually experience the ravages of the typhoon.
However, as Filipinos, I think we are all saddened and bothered by the huge devastation and loss of life, and I think everyone is doing their part in their own small way, whether it's donating food, water, or money, or volunteering their time and strength to the very real requirement of packing relief supplies. I'm not really the type to be overly emotional, in fact I'm a rather cold person when it comes to the hardships of others, but I must admit watching the news and seeing the MISERY of my countrymen stirs something in me, each and every time. I was once a victim during one of the rather bad floods in recent history, but in all honesty I cannot fathom having no home to go to, no food to eat, and having my family's dead bodies line the streets since they cannot be buried yet. The fact that some of the survivors can smile in the face of this adversity speaks volumes about their spirit.
We are thankful for all the help that has poured in from all the countries of the world. We really are. I was really pleasantly surprised to see the people of the world come together and give what help they could give. As the cliche goes, it restores a bit (OK, actually a lot) of my faith in humanity.
I speak for myself though when I say that I do not want to feel good about helping out - not yet. Because feeling good, for me, leads to the thought that I've done enough, and that I can stop. This is not true. The hardest hit areas will require help for the next six months to a full year since they basically have to rebuild from the ground up. For a region, and truthfully a country, that still hinges on the fruits of agricultural seasons to supply its population with food, it's a real problem when all the crops have been destroyed. When all the storage facilities have been destroyed. When all the farming implements have been destroyed. But to go back to my point, I do admit there is a tinge of happiness that comes with volunteering. But I must not forget.
There are, sadly, some shades of politics coming to the fore in terms of power struggles for control of the region. I am aware of them. The stories of the structures in Leyte being built because of bribes despite not being up to typhoon-wind level standards irks me (Haiyan was really another beast entirely - if there was a Category 6 type of typhoon it would have been that. But in the end it's the same: when people don't listen to engineers, people really die). And on top of all this, the ongoing trial of a criminal who siphoned all our rightfully-paid taxes into her bank accounts has been nearly forgotten. However, as angry as it all makes me, for now I will focus on helping out. But like helping out, I will not forget to hold people accountable. We must if we are to move on.
I do not mean to sound preachy. If I do, I apologize to anyone offended. I'm just sounding off on what I've been thinking of all the events since the start of the tragedy.
There is still so much more to be done.
However, as Filipinos, I think we are all saddened and bothered by the huge devastation and loss of life, and I think everyone is doing their part in their own small way, whether it's donating food, water, or money, or volunteering their time and strength to the very real requirement of packing relief supplies. I'm not really the type to be overly emotional, in fact I'm a rather cold person when it comes to the hardships of others, but I must admit watching the news and seeing the MISERY of my countrymen stirs something in me, each and every time. I was once a victim during one of the rather bad floods in recent history, but in all honesty I cannot fathom having no home to go to, no food to eat, and having my family's dead bodies line the streets since they cannot be buried yet. The fact that some of the survivors can smile in the face of this adversity speaks volumes about their spirit.
We are thankful for all the help that has poured in from all the countries of the world. We really are. I was really pleasantly surprised to see the people of the world come together and give what help they could give. As the cliche goes, it restores a bit (OK, actually a lot) of my faith in humanity.
I speak for myself though when I say that I do not want to feel good about helping out - not yet. Because feeling good, for me, leads to the thought that I've done enough, and that I can stop. This is not true. The hardest hit areas will require help for the next six months to a full year since they basically have to rebuild from the ground up. For a region, and truthfully a country, that still hinges on the fruits of agricultural seasons to supply its population with food, it's a real problem when all the crops have been destroyed. When all the storage facilities have been destroyed. When all the farming implements have been destroyed. But to go back to my point, I do admit there is a tinge of happiness that comes with volunteering. But I must not forget.
There are, sadly, some shades of politics coming to the fore in terms of power struggles for control of the region. I am aware of them. The stories of the structures in Leyte being built because of bribes despite not being up to typhoon-wind level standards irks me (Haiyan was really another beast entirely - if there was a Category 6 type of typhoon it would have been that. But in the end it's the same: when people don't listen to engineers, people really die). And on top of all this, the ongoing trial of a criminal who siphoned all our rightfully-paid taxes into her bank accounts has been nearly forgotten. However, as angry as it all makes me, for now I will focus on helping out. But like helping out, I will not forget to hold people accountable. We must if we are to move on.
I do not mean to sound preachy. If I do, I apologize to anyone offended. I'm just sounding off on what I've been thinking of all the events since the start of the tragedy.
There is still so much more to be done.
"Let's fight... like gentlemen." - Dudley, SF3
