Survival skills

Let us keep the fire of volunteerism burning by doing what little we can for the victims of typhoon Ondoy in Luzon.

It is heartwarming to hear stories of people with so little to give, but they still wholeheartedly offer what they can for our countrymen, who have been badly affected by the floods.

Let us continue to be one nation and let this spirit continue even after we shall have managed to get back on our feet after the storm.

Let’s keep this up!

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Sports activities have taken a backseat in the aftermath of the Ondoy with the games of the various tournaments in Manila postponed.

There have been stories during the height of the storm where people used their abilities to swim and their water sports equipment to save others.

Many years ago, I wrote in my column how come we haven’t developed the sports of rowing in our country?

Since we live in an archipelago, rowing is one sport that we can be good at if we work on developing our athletes.

There have also been stories of the heroic deeds of some people like the judge, who used his jet ski to rescue several people and the sad story of that 18-year-old construction worker who saved the lives of 30 people but died when he tried to go back one more time to save a child.

There have also be reports of how actors Jericho Rosales and Raymart Santiago came to the rescue of their neighbors using their surfboards.

These and many more stories of heroism strengthen our belief that there is a lot of hope for our nation.

While it may be difficult to swim in floodwaters, basic knowledge in swimming would be very important during situations like this as it would at least help you survive.

I know of several schools that offer swimming as part of their PE program. Maybe others can also do the same.

Preparedness for any disaster doesn’t only mean having the necessary gadgets and supplies, but also certain skills that can help you survive.

You might want to get your kids into swimming this school break. Even if you don’t get to use such skill during a calamity, who knows your child might enjoy it so much and become very good at it like brothers Nicolas James and Jonas D. Chiong, who first took up swimming for fun and are now regularly competing and winning in swim meets along with their cousins Kaitlyn and Madeleine D. Capacio.

You can swim not only for fun or for competition, but you’ll never know when you need to swim for your life.

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MILESTONES: Birthday greetings go to ABS-CBN’s Trixie Lopez-Tolentino, who turns a year older today and also to Michelle Panganiban. Another celebrant very dear to us in this section of the paper is Mary Rose Javier, who once was one of our reporters.

Tomorrow’s greetings go to singer Cattski Espina and Merchie Miranda.

Belated greetings go to my Tao brother Zamboanga del Norte Provincial Board Member Uldarico ‘Ricky’ Mejorada II, who turned a year older yesterday.

More power to all of you!