Like a man sleeping, bitten by pests...
Typhoon Sendong is akin to a mosquito biting a man asleep, who wakes irritated and finds himself in a deplorable state. Realizing this, he resolves to take himself out of this state and, simply, change for the better.
Before you demand an explanation or react harshly to the analogy, let me further discuss how any of this is relevant: Typhoon Sendong hit Northern Mindanao in the Southern Philippines sometime Friday evening, December 16. Constant rain and wind affected the area, which didn't seem like much for those who live in this part of the world but eventually the constant rain resulted in flooding, with the river overflowing and sinking entire neighborhoods. Many were caught unaware and off-guard, resulting in injuries, deaths, and more than a little stress. Electricity was lost in the majority of areas that utilized it. Usable water, both for drinking and other common purposes, are in shortage. As of now, over a thousand are dead or missing, with hundreds more with no homes to go to or their basic needs met.
Cagayan de Oro and Iligan citizens, those who have not been heavily affected, pitched in helping the victims. Money, food, clothes, and water donations have constantly been coming in to help the affected. Rescue teams are about searching for the missing or recovering news of loved ones, whether alive or dead. This is how we met the Christmas season: with death and despair, but also hope and resilience.
And yet other news have affected us as well: in a highly circulated article, President "P-Noy" Aquino is comfortably partying at an event in Malacanang, while the effects of Typhoon Sendong are heavily felt in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan. This was further exacerbated by the fact that Kris Aquino defended her brother's predicament, presumably before he had any chance to make a statement himself. Many have their thoughts on this matter but that's beside the point.
The point here is this: when all is said and done, six months from now, even a year from now, everything will still be the same. Nothing in the Philippines will change - there will be no difference to what has been going on before the events of Typhoon Sendong and afterwards. Before Typhoon Sendong, there were thousands, even millions, who constantly live with food and water shortages, with little to no shelter, with no adequate clothing. Families find their loved ones die on a regular basis, either through hunger or through other self-destructive means, just to forget their seemingly damned position in life. Meanwhile, the rest of us live our lives in relative comfort, with superficial concerns and "matters of consequence". We choose to ignore the plight of our lesser compatriots in the Philippines.
The economic system has become so corrupted that the black markets, seen virtually everywhere, are universally accepted in the country. Politicians serve money, not people. Social fluidity - the ability for an individual who aspires to better his situation from lower class to a higher - is nonexistent: if you are born poor, you stay poor. Many seek education not in service to their country, but for a better life and for the possibility of riches. The best and brightest are "exported" to other countries, thus siphoning out any chance of the Philippines to better itself. It seems as though the Philippines has opted to wipe itself out of existence.
What is a Filipino? What does it mean to be proud to be Filipino? What is there to be proud of when we, as a culture and a people, find ourselves continually thinking in a colonial way - it is better to be poor, it is better to be from Manila, it is better to waste hard-earned money from our relatives working through blood and tears in other countries on superficial, worldly pleasures. This is the standard the Philippines has lived by for years. And we've adapted to this standard for so long that we resigned ourselves to slumber and allow it to continue.
Can we not wake up? Typhoon Sendong should be the catalyst that opens our eyes. Our country is crippled and depressingly incapable of supporting itself. As a Filipino, I ask you to wake up. Protest that "the way things are" shouldn't be, that we've had enough with "just enough day by day", that we've had enough with only treating the symptoms.
I implore my fellow Filipinos, those who are willing, those who are capable, to finally say enough is enough. We must change this beloved country for the better. We cannot settle for less. We cannot just let Typhoon Sendong be another catastrophic event among many others that have passed us by without any significant change to the way life has been here. Must we stay asleep for so long?
Enough is enough.
WE MUST WAKE UP.
Note:
Do not opt to do nothing. Even a little can mean a lot. Help the victims of Typhoon Sendong, find a way to send donations or any other ways to help. For those in Cagayan de Oro or nearby areas who aren't as affected, we need all the help we can get.
But remember, IT SHOULD NOT END THERE. We must change.
God bless you all.
Before you demand an explanation or react harshly to the analogy, let me further discuss how any of this is relevant: Typhoon Sendong hit Northern Mindanao in the Southern Philippines sometime Friday evening, December 16. Constant rain and wind affected the area, which didn't seem like much for those who live in this part of the world but eventually the constant rain resulted in flooding, with the river overflowing and sinking entire neighborhoods. Many were caught unaware and off-guard, resulting in injuries, deaths, and more than a little stress. Electricity was lost in the majority of areas that utilized it. Usable water, both for drinking and other common purposes, are in shortage. As of now, over a thousand are dead or missing, with hundreds more with no homes to go to or their basic needs met.
Cagayan de Oro and Iligan citizens, those who have not been heavily affected, pitched in helping the victims. Money, food, clothes, and water donations have constantly been coming in to help the affected. Rescue teams are about searching for the missing or recovering news of loved ones, whether alive or dead. This is how we met the Christmas season: with death and despair, but also hope and resilience.
And yet other news have affected us as well: in a highly circulated article, President "P-Noy" Aquino is comfortably partying at an event in Malacanang, while the effects of Typhoon Sendong are heavily felt in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan. This was further exacerbated by the fact that Kris Aquino defended her brother's predicament, presumably before he had any chance to make a statement himself. Many have their thoughts on this matter but that's beside the point.
The point here is this: when all is said and done, six months from now, even a year from now, everything will still be the same. Nothing in the Philippines will change - there will be no difference to what has been going on before the events of Typhoon Sendong and afterwards. Before Typhoon Sendong, there were thousands, even millions, who constantly live with food and water shortages, with little to no shelter, with no adequate clothing. Families find their loved ones die on a regular basis, either through hunger or through other self-destructive means, just to forget their seemingly damned position in life. Meanwhile, the rest of us live our lives in relative comfort, with superficial concerns and "matters of consequence". We choose to ignore the plight of our lesser compatriots in the Philippines.
The economic system has become so corrupted that the black markets, seen virtually everywhere, are universally accepted in the country. Politicians serve money, not people. Social fluidity - the ability for an individual who aspires to better his situation from lower class to a higher - is nonexistent: if you are born poor, you stay poor. Many seek education not in service to their country, but for a better life and for the possibility of riches. The best and brightest are "exported" to other countries, thus siphoning out any chance of the Philippines to better itself. It seems as though the Philippines has opted to wipe itself out of existence.
What is a Filipino? What does it mean to be proud to be Filipino? What is there to be proud of when we, as a culture and a people, find ourselves continually thinking in a colonial way - it is better to be poor, it is better to be from Manila, it is better to waste hard-earned money from our relatives working through blood and tears in other countries on superficial, worldly pleasures. This is the standard the Philippines has lived by for years. And we've adapted to this standard for so long that we resigned ourselves to slumber and allow it to continue.
Can we not wake up? Typhoon Sendong should be the catalyst that opens our eyes. Our country is crippled and depressingly incapable of supporting itself. As a Filipino, I ask you to wake up. Protest that "the way things are" shouldn't be, that we've had enough with "just enough day by day", that we've had enough with only treating the symptoms.
I implore my fellow Filipinos, those who are willing, those who are capable, to finally say enough is enough. We must change this beloved country for the better. We cannot settle for less. We cannot just let Typhoon Sendong be another catastrophic event among many others that have passed us by without any significant change to the way life has been here. Must we stay asleep for so long?
Enough is enough.
WE MUST WAKE UP.
Note:
Do not opt to do nothing. Even a little can mean a lot. Help the victims of Typhoon Sendong, find a way to send donations or any other ways to help. For those in Cagayan de Oro or nearby areas who aren't as affected, we need all the help we can get.
But remember, IT SHOULD NOT END THERE. We must change.
God bless you all.
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