Beyond the pain and grief . Hope, Faith, and Love

No tsunami, but flashfloods instead. But the same scenario of grief, death, devastation, broken lives, changed lives greeted all after Typhoon Sendong left last weekend.

 The pain and grief are so deep but these are clearly etched in the faces, and most especially, in the minds and the hearts of the families who lost so much in the past few days.

 Was this disaster one reason why Mama Mary was crying when she relayed her message last December 8 to visionary Emma de Guzman, some witnesses recall and ask.

 “Please repeat Mama Mary’s message to all Filipinos: pray, pray, pray harder and more sincerely and be prepared always for we do not know the time of the Lord’s coming,” sister Len insisted.

 Nature has been and continues to be abused. Illegal and uncontrolled logging, mining come to mind.

 BenCyrus Ellorin has filed the details about these abuses in FASTLANES under Mindaviews. For more information, you can contact this Mindanao journalist/environmentalist at [email protected].

 People, especially our poor, continue as well to be ignored and neglected. Would the number of the dead and missing have been avoided had more welfare services and genuine care been shared with them much earlier?

 Time for all other local governments to relocate those in riverbanks and esteros all over the country, with humane relocation sites properly prepared for those whose lives will be altered with the relocation.

 How much housing can be given to how many people if the P600M fund allotted for the flyovers were instead diverted for this noble, more urgent need?

 The same question can be asked of other unnecessary infrastructure projects all throughout the country. When will government learn to prioritize people, especially the needy and the poor?

 Can the present government declare a freeze on unnecessary infrastructure projects and instead allot the funds for the basic needs of the poor: food, jobs, safe shelter, education, health services?

 Can the politicians forget their pet infra projects, even just for a year or two, and instead ensure that no one among their constituents will ever be hungry, homeless, jobless from here on?

 Surely, all politicians know that their precious pork barrel which truly belongs to the Filipino can help so many millions go beyond poverty and deprivation? Surely, the politicians know that had the pork barrel been honestly and effectively channeled to help fight hunger and poverty, then by now, the Philippines would have stood high and proud among the prosperous countries?

 How many more deaths, how much more grief and pain do the politicians need to see before they wake up to the reality that they are not in their present positions for their own selfish interests?

 Can the government also declare a total ban on logging and mining? Surely, there are other more creative, eco-protective investments and programs that can bring our country out of poverty?

 Every calamity is met with the same message for politicians to wake up and render genuine public service to our people. Until now, however, the wake up call has never awakened any meaningful change among the politicians of this land.

 Meantime, the pain and the grief proceed. The deaths and damages continue. For how much longer? The loss and tragedy become more acute within this Christmas season.

 Mr. Fujita, one 3/11 earthquake and tsunami Japanese survivor who lost his family, who is now a volunteer of a group sharing services and goods to affected communities , schools and people, said he wakes up each day, with energy and hope, and moves on to do his share, his little share. Check out this website to see how he and other survivors have tried to move forward, beyond the 3/11 tragedy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVm0CN4KbaU.

 It may sound lame to say this now but we still firmly believe that prayers, prayers, and more prayers as well as faith, hope and yes, lots of love, the message of Christmas, will see us through beyond this tragedy.  

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Email: [email protected].