Bayanihan jam

MANILA, Philippines - Rainy days tend to bring out that desire to cuddle with a loved one; however, families cuddled up tightly as rain steadily covered the entire Metro — this time, not a single hint of romanticism was involved. Ondoy was different — it did not have the typical serenade of howling winds that other typhoons bring when visiting our disaster-sticken archipelago:  Ondoy simply made its presence felt by quickly submerging its victims in H20 muscle.

A Saturday full of appointments was quickly turned into a rest day at home; an announcement through SMS was made that the Amazing Race team challenge to be held the following day was to be cancelled and moved the following week; the superstar-filled concert in MOA grounds was rescheduled, as well as the highly-anticipated Razorback acoustic set.

By early evening, all of these schedule adjustments suddenly became irrelevant: people were beginning to climb on their rooftops for safety and scores were stranded due to impassable roads. No early warning device gave advice for people to prepare for such an occasion and so panic was imminent.

All this reminded me of an alarmingly-recent gathering sponsored by Oxfam International and its local partner, DAKILA. Artists of different fields have united in a campaign for climate action, particularly towards pressuring international leaders to come up with a fair and safe deal this coming December at the UN Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen, Denmark. Unstable weather patterns and their daunting consequences are now not mere nosebleed or boring topics to talk about in a sleepy auditorium — these are now real and relevant experiences too intense to shake off.

On the very same day that the typhoon struck Manila, JAM 88.3’s Gang (fondly known as Ms. RockEd) struck a brilliant idea: use this FM station to broadcast any news and information pertinent to Ondoy. Along with veteran DJ Lambert onboard, their transmission proved most essential especially to those already forced out of their homes, with only a cellular phone in hand and its FM-capability as the only connection to any potential external assistance. Living near the station, it was relatively easy for me to go to the station to help out upon Lambert’s invite. People provided, through the radio station, fellow citizens details on current traffic situations, updates of affected communities, status of certain communities, emergency numbers of various relevant agencies and officials and, most importantly, declarations of encouragement and genuine concern.

Amid all the memorable accounts shared, a remarkable episode occurred that is still fresh on my mind: several texters informed us that a particular mall was driving people out of its doors despite the typhoon. After a few minutes of exasperated reactions, an SMS surfaced from the mall’s very own management team to inform the listeners that the mall allowed its employees to stay inside its premises and even provided free dinner. Whether the mall management succumbed to public pressure or decided to act on its own will, I nevertheless felt victorious — ultra blessed to be able to bite into a small portion of people power.

Relief drives proliferated immediately the following morning. Then during an on-air session lasting 14 hours and organized by Tracy and the rest of the JAM 88.3 community, (music) artists both pressed people to (continue to) donate as well as cheered the hard-to-reach community members to keep their faith. And all throughout, technology was squeezed to its full usefulness as it was utilized by both the Señorito and the Man’g Boy to help each other.

Life-threatening tragedies tend to unite even the worst of enemies and mend even the longest of family feuds. However, can it really be considered a heroic act if only because one is pushed to a wall? Modern heroism is an everyday habit, strengthened when a multitude unites even without the threat of an opponent. The spirit of bayanihan has once again resurfaced, becoming a trendy word to throw around; hopefully it will not retreat back into hibernation.