Pinatubo victims help Mayon Volcano refugees - Roses And Thorns byAlejandro R. Roces

It was touching to read that Catholic churchgoers all over Pampanga took up a "second collection" after Mass last Sunday to raise funds for the thousands of people who were displaced by the ongoing Mayon volcano eruption. No sector of society could empathize more with the Mayon refugees than the Pinatubo victims. Everyone should give a little of himself to help alleviate the victims of the Mayon eruption. We were also pleased to note that US troops who participated in the recent joint war games also sent a team who had to cross the muddy field in Albay to contribute what they could to the homeless refugees.

We would like to suggest that all churches all over the country follow Pampanga's example. They should take up a "second collection" after Sunday Mass for their Christian brothers who are now victims of a natural disaster. Perhaps, too, the Rotarians, Lions and Jaycees could have their own programs to help alleviate the plight of the Mayon victims.

The word volcano comes from a tiny island in Italy. When it exploded, the people in the area believed that it was where Vulcan, the god of fire and the working of metals, kept his forge. In Pinatubo, the Aetas who had to evacuate its slopes when it exploded in June of 1991 say that Apo Namalyari, Aeta god of the volcano, was angry because of the geothermal drilling in its slopes. That was the only explanation they could give because it had been dormant for centuries.

The Philippines will always have more than its share of natural disasters -- typhoons, tidal waves, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. But it is heartening to note when disasters bring out the best in people. We have many people who do not get enough to eat. In fact, we live surrounded by street children who day to day literally do not know where their next meal will come from. But we also have a sector of society that are over-fed and therefore, overweight. To that sector belongs a great number of policemen. The best way for them to lose weight would be to regularly sacrifice a meal and give the money to a starving street child. They will be killing two birds with one stone. They will be healthier and better fit to comply with their duties and they will be helping the most helpless sector of the society they are supposed to protect.

Charity is a bigger blessing to the one who gives than the one who receives. We make a living by earning. We give meaning to our lives by giving.