Bring back the sunshine

Over the last seven days, my consciousness has been saturated with words like “rescue,” “stranded” and “heartbreaking,” rendering me unable to think but unable to forget all at the same time. It’s been a week dominated by Typhoon Ondoy, a natural disaster that has, in the worst possible way, turned Metro Manila into the new New Orleans.

In our part of the planet, tropical storms are about as exciting as white rice, so hardly anyone took news about Ondoy (international name: Ketsana) that seriously. After all, compared to Milenyo, which tore through the capital in 2006, Ondoy was a wimp. Talk to any Filipino now, however, and you’re bound to hear the same refrain: “It took us by surprise.” No one predicted that one night of relatively light rain would result in so much misery and destruction.

Multimedia Trinity

I spent that Saturday glued to a rather eclectic multimedia trinity — ANC, DZMM Teleradyo and Tumblr — in order to stay current. By early afternoon, most of the metropolis, especially eastern parts of Manila, was already off the grid: cell sites were down, power was cut off and entire cities were going under faster than you can say Waterworld.

On TV, I saw images not so easily wiped from the memory banks. First, there was a grainy video of cars being swept away by floodwaters outside UERM. Then there was the incredible footage of a family on a makeshift barge, surfing the San Mateo River against their will. But what got me sobbing through clenched teeth were stories of elderly citizens exiled on their rooftops and dead babies found facedown in the muck. If things had just been a little different and fate dealt us another hand, my loved ones and I could’ve been those people. What a nightmare. 

Volunteerism and ‘clueless’

Bleary-eyed from breaking down, I woke up the following morning with a renewed sense of purpose; I desperately wanted to help. On Sunday, ABS-CBN kicked off its Sagip Kapamilya fund drive; since one of my dreams — I kid you not — is to field calls during a telethon, I actually considered it. But I eventually dropped the idea when it dawned on me that I wasn’t an artista. At least not yet. Ha.

So I did the next best thing. I summoned the spirit of volunteerism — known as bayanihan during our grandparents’ time — and made a beeline to my neighborhood supermarket and department store. I ended up buying interesting stuff to give away, from rolling mats and detergent to whole wheat bread and can openers. Back at my place, I scrounged around for more potential relief goods: flip-flops I only wore once, shampoo, vitamins, plastic utensils, bath gels and dust mite spray. The last two items may seem a little indulgent, but there’s bound to be someone out there who would need them more than I do. (Throughout all this, I couldn’t help but jog back to two more movies: The Day After Tomorrow and Clueless, especially the Pismo Beach disaster relief scene.) 

The Bright Side

Anyway, one of the elevators in my building conked out at the height of the typhoon. While I’m aware that this is the ultimate nuisance for any apartment dweller, I still wanted to head-butt this woman who whined and asked why the functional one had to stop at each and every floor. At least you’re alive, bitch! Lots of our countrymen just lost their lives. A little perspective won’t kill you.

That brief moment of urban rage aside, my fear and sadness subsequently morphed into gratitude and hope. After days and nights of rain, the sun took on an entirely new meaning. That old saw is really true: You won’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.   

I don’t mean to downplay the gravity of the situation, but I’d like to focus on the bright side. As our nation picks itself up in the wake of the worst flood in decades, it’s heartening to know that there are heroes out there who prefer to do good deeds without a camera crew in tow. It’s also encouraging to note that the whole world is commiserating with us, if the Internet is to be believed. Last and most important, it’s amazing but somehow ironic that it took a tragedy like this to awaken the kindness in all of us. I’m confident that we will all recover and when we do, the Philippines will be stronger, more united and a lot more compassionate than ever before.

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