WHILE the Pinoy was marking himself safe during Typhoon Tino, he was wishing he could mark himself safe during Typhoon Uwan. And it’s only November. Want to make a wild guess what December will bring?
Sendong happened in December 2011. Pablo in December 2012. Odette in December 2021.
Typhoon Yolanda was in November 2013, and Rolly in November 2020.
Just when Pinas is celebrating Christmas starting in September, typhoons then choose those same months to disrupt the merriment. If only we can request typhoons to please visit Pinas after, hmmm, Three Kings’ Day.
Or for malls to stop advertising Christmas in September. After All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days would be more appropriate. And so there was the 11.11 sale. For items for the Go Bag: battery-powered radio, ready-to-eat food, flashlight, whistle, potable water, batteries, dust/face mask, warmth essentials (jacket, blanket, mat, etc.), utility rope, trash bag, important documents, dining utensils, hygiene kit, and first aid kit (source: Philippine Red Cross through ABS-CBN News).
Ready-to-eat food such as canned goods with easy-to-open pull-tab lids, bread, and crackers. Instant noodles will still need hot water, so, they’re not exactly ready-to-eat. The sugar in powdered drinks, bottled drinks, cake, cookies, biscuits, chocolates, and candy will only give the recipients tonsillitis that can worsen to coughs, so, better exclude them from the Go Bag.
Eating carbs, either the sweet kind or not, can actually cause lots of diseases. After exposure to the typhoon and floods, an illness trigger won’t be appreciated at all.
The government should be able to provide for the survivors’ basic needs. Much-needed help will also come from family, relatives, friends, and colleagues. This kind of explains that famous quote from then US President John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural address: “Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.”
Which may remind the Pinoy of another famous quote, the one from then Philippine Commonwealth President Manuel Luis Quezon: “I would rather have a country run like hell by Filipinos than a country run like heaven by the Americans, because however bad a Filipino government might be, we can always change it.”
The Pinoy was indeed happy when he believed he could change the Filipino government through the 1986 People Power. But that government has remained embroiled in graft and corruption — allegedly, reportedly, supposedly.
I was one of those who believed change was possible. So, I joined the 1986 People Power in Manila. I’ve even kept my yellow souvenirs. 39 years later, memories of that peaceful revolution are morphing into this: I joined the 1986 People Power and all I got were these souvenirs. Should I throw them away?
But the Pinoy flood survivor’s focus is far far away from what happened in 1986 as he tries to move forward, although he can’t be expected to rise and shine as if nothing happened.
Immediately after a disaster, donations, which include clothes, are expected to start arriving.
These clothes should be wearable for daily use. In other words, no wedding gowns, no costumes, no fur coats, no evening gowns, no tattered clothes. Yes, you use tattered clothes for sleeping because they’re comfortable and/or have sentimental value, but don’t expect recipients to treasure them, too.
