Perhaps nothing new can be said about what happened during the past few days, as well as our response to this event. For us who have gone through typhoon Ondoy and are experiencing torrential rains and monsoons almost every year, albeit not as grave as this, we as a nation, to a certain extent, are prepared with automatic responses to such occurrences: when the Marikina River rises, evacuate, when people are affected, we plan and execute relief operations, and when all of this is done, then we give ourselves a collective pat on our collective backs and hope that it will never happen again.
But, as we have said, experiences are never duplicates of each other, and there is always something new even though it seems like it has been the same, and every experiences bring new insights, realizations, and lessons to teach us. With that, allow me to at least let these recent events speak to us and gain insight not just on the reality of our own selves, but also of others that most of us do not encounter on a daily basis.
The strong monsoon rains which not only suspended our regular classes and routines for the day but also puts the city in a suspended state, in a sense that many places have submerged and lives have been endangered, constitutes a break that hopefully allowed us to rethink, to see our own worlds and ways of living with new perspectives. Whether our homes have been affected by the floods or not, we are invited by this event to reflect on how we think of life and live it, day in and day out, especially in times when our studies have become a burden and we wished nature would intervene in order for us to get that free day we hope for. We are invited to think of those who go beyond the boundaries of our homes and schools, seeing that those who live in places that we barely call home, exposed at the risk of forcefully evicted because of natural disasters like these. We are invited think how we ourselves are related to those unfortunate others, who have the same right to a good life like us, but clearly are deprived of it. Finally, we are invited to think what this event means for us as a nation, what can be done in such situations, and what needs to be changed not just to improve our ways of living in the city, but also to uplift those who have repeatedly subject to suffering and dehumanization
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| Photo courtesy of the Guidon's Facebook page. |
Thankfully, as men and women for others, most of us whose lives and homes were not endangered by the floods helped out in the relief operations in more ways than one. I am quite amazed with the fact that we have immediately responded to the need of our brothers and sisters whose lives were devastated by the monsoon rains. It is a comforting fact that we have been distressed by what happened in our country and decided to set aside our present concerns (our students and immediate plans) in order to use our time and resources to actually help in more ways than one. I hope that such actions are not brought about by the desire to just be seen in action or peer pressure, but a genuine desire that springs forth from within, telling us that our lives are lived not just for ourselves, but for others, and this is what is demanded of us in this present moment.
But this is nowhere near the real storm that we all have to face, the floods that we need to endure, the operations that we need to execute. This calls us to look forward, think of ways and procedures that will lead us to actually assure everyone that whatever happened today and in 2009 will never happen again. Our generation will be the one to inherit the problems brought forth by our predecessors, and we cannot just be satisfied with relief operations.
The challenge now, for us, as future leaders, game changers, and movers of the country, is to go beyond than what is demanded of us and actually think of the future of our city, the Filipino people, and our nation. We are called, as Paul Ricoeur said, towards responsibility and hope
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| Maybe we could start with this simple one, right? |
I think there could be an underlying issue with the distribution of the relief goods. Yes, the people will benefit from it but how will the plastic, that was used in packaging the goods, be disposed later on? Would the people just throw it anywhere and further clog the drainage which would worsen our situation when something like this happens again. That's the question I had in mind when I was carrying the plastic bags.
ReplyDeleteI also thought about this issue. When i was helping out, a part of me held back because i knew there was a downside to how i was helping. A huge amount of plastic was being used to pack all the relief goods--which will eventually contribute to even more flood in the future. I thought about the use of old boxes (the ones used for storing the instant noodles and water), but i realised that these goods are going to be sent out to wet areas. The boxes may eventually tear and fall apart- making it messier than it already is. The relief operations in UP Diliman, however, was sponsored by a company that provided uniformed canvas bags to pack their goods. I thought it was a brilliant idea because these bags may be used in the long run when people start relocating for safer homes. I just hope that more companies, although it may be a bit pricey, think about doing this as well. That way, all those who volunteer can help out without holding back!
DeleteDevastating calamities and weather disturbances happen out of our control, but let's TRY to change what we CAN control. :-)
good question! perhaps it would be time for us to think of other ways as to how we would package goods, not just in these cases, but in general. A lot of cities around Luzon (as far as I know, it includes Marikina, Pasig, Batangas City, and Lipa among others) who have completely banned the use of plastics and encourages other alternative ways of packing, such as bringing one's own bags or layers of paper bags. I hope that QC and Manila implements this as well. And perhaps, we can use these other methods to pack goods for relief.
ReplyDeleteI was deeply inspired by the ways we responded to the needs of the affected families. We acted responsibly for the urgent needs of others. However, I ask myself what the causes of the unusual heavy rain are and who suffer most. I think that our carelessness to our natural environment is one of the root causes. The people who suffer most are the poor who have no proper and safe houses. It is our responsibility to address to the root causes of disordered weather and the poverty so that we will be able to ensure the safety of all and the safety of the future generation. As mentioned above, we are challenged to go beyond and build a better and safer society for all.
ReplyDeletePau
Just Curious, how will you know if the person if helping due to peer pressure or not? I mean, sometimes you see them not really helping out in the area but you can't be sure that either they don't really want to help or that they really do not know where and how to help. Sometimes you think that the only reason they went is so that they can put their name out there. IS the important thing the fact that they helped?
ReplyDeletebut then, would helping be really helping if it is not one's intention?
DeleteThroughout the harrowing experience of the calamity, throughout all the worrying about the rain pouring harder by the hour, and throughout the hustle and bustle of making sure nothing gets wet, one thing crossed my mind, and it was one of the most heartbreaking things I could ever hope to realize in life --
ReplyDeletepeople are suffering, even dying, out there, and it hurts so much that I really couldn't do anything for them without getting hurt or dying myself, as powerless as I am to challenge the wrath of Mother Nature.
We can only do so much, I say. And I think that what we can do now, we should do, before Mother Nature or any force as powerful as her acts to stop us. We may have "waterproof" resolve, but we are still bound to do things within the limits of our physical shells. But still, in this day, place, and age, power, recognition, self-glorification, names, personality, physicality, and all those other details that we throw in with our helping are all but fleeting. They can have their fun now, but later on, they'll all be dust in the wind. Forgotten. Pointless.
I think all that matters is that we do something for and with the other. That in itself is proof of being human, of having even just a trickle of intrinsic goodness inside you. We may be limited individually, but together, we make the impossible possible. All in all, humanity is moved forward by actions and events, rather than dates, names, and personalities.
I mean, how would you win the lottery if you didn't buy a ticket in the first place, right?
--Jazz
I think the issue now lies whether or not we, as a nation, would actually be responsible enough to think of not only our future but also the welfare of our fellow countrymen. Clearly, we can't change the fact that our country will still experience heavy rains and typhoons in the future but that doesn't mean we should stay hopeless in our situation. If we become more aware of our actions (ex. disposal of our garbage) and its possible consequences maybe we can lessen the effects of these calamities. Yes it’s great that many of us tried to help those who are affected through the relief operations but I think that, perhaps, the best gift we can impart not only to ourselves but to others would awareness-- awareness of our actions and responsibilities and awareness of our surroundings. Hopefully, we can improve the conditions of our country.
ReplyDeleteKat Balonan
Philo 101 A
One of the issues that lingers in my mind upon encountering situations like this is the word: Akala. Those who are living in the so called "catch basin" in Marikina like the Provident or Tumana village already had a firsthand experience of the flood during the Ondoy incident. They know what it is like to be trapped in their own houses waiting for rescue or the miserable feeling of losing your house (among other things) to the storm. I know someone who lives in Tumana and so I asked her the reason why she lives there despite knowing of the disastrous consequences. She said that the cost of the land is cheaper and she didn’t expect the flood to be so high. Indeed, there are pros and cons on living there and it is very easy to say that the people should be relocated in a safer place. Politicians even debated on whether the people should still be allowed to live in the known “catch basin” places. Now, we are stuck in a moratorium. People have their own reasons on choosing to stay in the flooded areas. Additionally, it’s a fact that a lot of people helped out in the relief operations but is there something we can do to help the people who were affected by the disaster to get back on the normal track of their lives? Or the better question is, “How can we help them help themselves?”
ReplyDeleteOne thing is for sure, “Huwag magtiwala sa maling akala.”
Clare Espino (Philo 101 C)
I find it odd that a lot of people blamed PNoy for being unprepared for the storm yet they have not prepared themselves as well. It was evident, seeing the large piles of garbage in the streets, that most people constantly litter and neglect the three R's (reduce, reuse and recyle). We can only do so much in the relief ops, which only lasts a specific length of time and fixes the short-term problem. However, I do hope that the motto "ayoko na ng baha kaya hindi na ako magkakalat" sticks to everyone not just during the aftermath of the storm but for the rest of their lives.
ReplyDeleteGabrielle Uy
Philo 101A
I think that natural disasters as such are the devastating reminders of how lives are easily lost. We can never know for sure when we will die, forty years from now, in six months, or tomorrow. However, we can choose not to live in fear or without a care in the world, but to learn more intimately the value of life... to be in constant reflection and action. We 'wake up' and start to ask away. What am I doing with my life right now, and what do I really want to do with it? Am I happy with the person I'm becoming and the way I'm living? Should I be doing something more, something less, or something else? What is the role of others in my world? What is MY role in their world? What do we all mean to each other in the real world? How can I make a change? Where can I start?
ReplyDeleteWe continue to reflect, and we continue to act. And as aptly put by Gandhi, "Be the change you wish to see in the world."
Abi Go Ph101 A
P.S. We often think that we can't do everything, so we end up doing nothing... forgetting the fact that we CAN do something, and that something matters. :-)
I find natural disasters somewhat strange. I recall a time, back in grade school, when my friends would torture ants by spilling water over them and laughing as they drown or picking up snails and stomping on them just to hear the sound it makes. And I, stand from afar only to approach when the tormentors have cleared, then think to myself "why". Why did those days feel so much like now? Irony perhaps?
ReplyDeleteNowadays, I spent time aiding those who were affected, but then I think am I really helping? I know about the garbage problem, the poor and needy clamoring for relief from the effects of garbage they throw. I witnessed a small child throw a plastic cup into the water and I was shocked at how the parents didn't seem to care.
So now I think of various conspiracy theories which are probably extremely far fetched and at the end of the day I can't help but wonder if we really want the floods to stop. There has to be some sort of drive that will push us through or simply get used to this flood-help pattern which will ultimately consume us anyway.
It's actually quite interesting for me - how we've all matured at the same time. I remember back in grade school (or even until high school, actually) when I constantly pray for typhoons to come just so I can have a free day. Maybe back then the typhoons weren't as bad or maybe I just wasn't conscious of the situations of other people. Either way, hoping for a typhoon for a free day is just sadistic, horrible and of course, selfish. I'm pretty sure there were other people who were like this too.
ReplyDeleteBut now, it's amazing how every single person dealt with the typhoon. I woke up every morning with texts asking me if I was okay or if it was flooded in my area (I live in Marikina). I just find it great how every one was so concerned with each other. The relief operation was another story! I never realized how every one had the need to help their fellow countrymen. My friend posted this photo on Instagram (I can't download it, unfortunately) that said: 12,000 prisoners in Muntinlupa Jail gave up their meals so that the food can be donated to the flood victims. It's wonderful how every (and I mean EVERY) single Filipino was willing to help in any way they can!
Looking back, of course I feel really bad for even wishing classes would get suspended - even though I was only a child back then. At least I was able to realize that I should care more about my surroundings and other people rather than simply my own needs. I'm really willing to help out in any little way I can!
It’s very comforting to hear that many people were helping out during the relief operations after the devastating effects of the storm during the past week. I think back on this quotation by Charles Kingsley “We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about.” And even though a lot of the students were not that affected by the floods, they stepped out of the comfort of their own homes, into the rains and helped prepare and provide the relief good for the victims. And hopefully some or most don’t feel obligated to help out, but do so because they want to. Actually, it’s not just the students, I heard from a blockmate who was at the relief operations about an elderly couple(one of whom was on even on a wheel chair), helping out the relief operations and that they’ve been there for almost a whole day. He apparently was quite moved at that scene.
ReplyDeleteSeeing these, I had to reflect on my part. Others were fine and could’ve just stayed home since it was difficult and probably dangerous to move from place to place due to the flooded roads, yet some still managed to go. And there I was at home sick in bed, safe under my covers and surfing the net to see what was going on outside. I felt uneasy, knowing I couldn’t be of any help and that I could only watch from a distance. I found that there was really no meaning in living out a comfortable life knowing it’s just you living it and that others aren’t. There is a sort of happiness being involved with something and all the more with other people. No man is an island after all.
-Chrissen Domingo
PH101-C
Since I don't really reside permanently in Manila (I'm a dormer), floods of this scale were new to me. I admit, I was really excited on the first day that classes were cancelled. But as the rain went on, the no classes weren't something to be happy anymore. On the news, I see floods and people getting forcefully evicted from their homes because of the natural disaster. I suddenly wished the rain stopped.
ReplyDeleteI live in the University Dormitory. I woke up Tuesday morning feeling the relief from all the stress as classes were now cancelled. Every morning, when I wake up, the first thing on my mind is "I have to eat." And then I heard the rain and wondered if the cafeteria was open. And it was. Looking at the employees working on this stormy weather moved me. Here they are, risking their lives in the rain to cook food for us. They could have just stayed home and not risk it. Yeah this might seem shallow but it really really moved me. And for the next 4 days, they were still there. Everyday, 7am until 9pm. :)
After this, I was moved into action. So I joined the relief operations. It felt satisfying. :)
-Jason Dacuyan
Ph101-A
"The Filipino Spirit is waterproof" --All throughout the monsoon days, I saw this quote being tweeted constantly and it being a beautiful quote, I didn't only re-tweet it but I tried to live it out. It was one of the things that gave me the drive to collect donations, make hundreds of sandwiches and make my way through the crowded grocery stores where everyone else was eyeing the same loaf of bread that I was. However, when I thought more about it...I realized that the Filipino Spirit wasn't always waterproof. We just got used to it, but that's not how it's supposed to be. I think it's better that we learn to rise from the calamities that we've been experiencing rather than just learning to adapt to it.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is only during those times when the unity among the Filipinos is most evident but that's exactly it. We shouldn't wait for times like these to be better. We have to learn to be better everyday, everyone needs to be better because if we don't then, this is exactly where we'll all end up every single time.
I haven't lost hope for our nation,I know we'll make it through. :)
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ReplyDeleteWhat moved me during the course of this calamity was the video I saw on TV Patrol with a man tied on a rope, trying to get the baby from one end to the other over the deep flood. I just thought, "Wow, the things people do to help others.. and they're not even related." I don't think the man in the video was related to the child or the mother. It seemed like they were just neighbors, but the fact that he's utterly helpful moved me. And I'm not referring to the donate-some-food-money-or-clothing kind of help, but the real I'll-tie-myself-onto-a-rope-and-save-you kind of help is really something. I mean, to put oneself in a very risky and dangerous situation to help somebody.. it's a big thing. Plus the fact that they don't get anything from it at all, such attitude of selflessness and courage is very ideal. And these are the kind of people who, let's say, don't have much.. and yet, their willing to risk a lot. It's wonderful that in a moment of catastrophe, people would go out of their way to lend a hand even if there's nothing practical in it for them but a chance to do good and show how others are valued.
ReplyDelete~ Cara Garcia, Ph101 - A
During these times of calamities, it's sad to see the destruction our country was put into but at the same time, it's nice to see that there are a lot of people concerned and helping out their fellowmen. These relief centers give us a chance to give back to the community, especially those who are in need. These situations also give us a chance to be grateful for what we have and of all things, that we are safe.
ReplyDeleteI remember when I was helping out in a different school, one thing the host said that struck me was what he said (or something similar to below):
"Remember, it's not about how long you help or if you helped, it's about who you helped"
Indeed, he was right. the whole point of these relief centers was to give comfort to those who helped. It isn't about feeding our satisfaction or to be able to say that we helped. It's always about those who we're helping that matters.
-M. Cua, PH 101 A
I personally was not able to join relief operations, but after some reflection and lecture from Sci10 class (about plastics), I realized that I have also contributed to the recent devastating flood. Often times, I don't notice this because I take waste disposal for granted. I would usually think "this is just a small piece of paper and throwing it along the sidewalk won't do any harm". Many people like me will do the same, and then the accumulated wastes pile up and clog the drainage system. I guess the poster is true, I do not want any flood to happen again and the least I can do is to throw my wastes properly.
ReplyDelete-Russell Virata, PH101C
Thank you, Sir, for featuring the #ayokonangbaha poster in your blog! We are now making prints; for every person who buys a print we will make a donation in their name to the Philippine National Red Cross. Just doing our part. -- Jeryc Garcia, AB Comm '94
ReplyDeleteHello, Jeryc. You're welcome. One request, though, can you make this a shirt? I think it will serve as a living reminder for all of us about Ondoy and Habagat, and the little commitment we have to make.
DeleteHi Earl! Shirts are in the pipeline as well. I'll post again when they become available. Salamat!
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