#100SinceYolanda: Awakening, catastrophe and political depravity
4:26 PM
Back when the windows served as barricade between life and death. We were locked inside our house while the strong storm swirling outside, trying to devour every unfortunate lives to receive its fury.
Unprecedented, unanticipated and uncommon. Yolanda trampled the Visayas, killing thousands of lives, flooded and even swung houses, uprooted trees, toppled electric posts and communication cell sites, lashed agricultural crops, and left the whole city-states on its very pathetic plight. As a worst calamity story ever published in the Philippine media, this predicament was an unprecedented nightmare which defaced immediately the in situ of our lush surroundings, surroundings which never been slapped by any of the disasters until Yolanda. It was an unanticipated catastrophe which squeezed the eyes of the Filipino people who, despite of losing hope, remained strong until the desperate present. It was an uncommon disaster which tested the faith of the Christian nation in the Far East, now considered as the deadliest country when it comes to environmental phenomenon related disasters.
It was 100 days since the devastation, but the hullabaloos of the wind fury and the collision of debris to debris are still fresh in our mind, being reminded by the horrors when the torrential or heavy rain will again pour down in the makeshift houses we had. But memories of 100 days after the devastation were not just about the cries waving on the sky with sympathy, but also with the irrelevant junctures in the hardest test we had. In the completion of 100 days after Yolanda, nepotism in relief distribution, grapple of grim words between President Aquino and Tacloban Mayor Rodriguez, hoarding of grains which starved the affected people, over pricing of commercial products, not impartial distribution of relief goods and putting political names in helping people were the "accomplishments" of business men and politicians' pettiness.
It was 100 days since the devastation, but the hullabaloos of the wind fury and the collision of debris to debris are still fresh in our mind, being reminded by the horrors when the torrential or heavy rain will again pour down in the makeshift houses we had. But memories of 100 days after the devastation were not just about the cries waving on the sky with sympathy, but also with the irrelevant junctures in the hardest test we had. In the completion of 100 days after Yolanda, nepotism in relief distribution, grapple of grim words between President Aquino and Tacloban Mayor Rodriguez, hoarding of grains which starved the affected people, over pricing of commercial products, not impartial distribution of relief goods and putting political names in helping people were the "accomplishments" of business men and politicians' pettiness.
Despite of the hard tests we had, both environmental catastrophe and political depravity, the Filipinos can still and will take a single step to bring back the normal life we had before this plight. This was not a blessing since it pounded not just the city, but also the hearts full with mourn and mind circled with both emotional and psychological needs. But despite of this, kudos to those people who was able to dig soil and erect the pillars of their houses before the turtle-walk assistance from the government came into their hands. Kudos to those people that despite of the limited foods, they can provide, even those left over coconut fruit, for the sake of their too young children and siblings. Kudos to those people that despite of losing family members, they optimistically faced reality and start for a new beginning. We do not have to thank about this plague, but we have to augment what shortcomings we had which were caused of this perils.
100 days after Yolanda, it should be clear for us to correct what is wrong, to augment what was lacking. Wrongs like abusing our environment, lacking like inflexible faith.
By the bravery of Lapu-Lapu in the battle of Mactan, of Bonifacio to free the nation from the Spanish colonizers and of Filipino veterans in the time of the second World War, we should not let this disaster cover off the bravery we had marked in the history before -- bravery in the conquest and even in the nature's quest.
Some defined Yolanda as a curse, and some as gift. But it was neither of that two. Yolanda's purpose was awakening; awakening to the gradual fainting of the unison of the nations, of the bayanihan spirit, and of the faith being ratified by the excessive love of the people to the earthly things. Because of Yolanda, the world became one in dispensing relief efforts in the affected areas of Leyte, Capiz, and others. Houses were built again by the decisive help of the neighbors, depicting the "bayanihan" spirit which was practiced by our ancestors. And faith was tightened more because of the providence of God to what we ask for.
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