Just as the owners of the Titanic never saw the possibility of its sinking; I never saw Metro Manila sinking amidst the anger of the unforgiving rain-nay!-storm. I have never thought of the city as an invincible. unfailing place but I have never envisioned it to be incapable of defending itself against natural calamities.
True, the city has its resources; it is advanced; and it has the majority of the better off citizens. But yesterday, we all witnessed that even the grandest of walls could be faltered and deterred by a million stone-throwers, given enough time. The rain was strong but not unforgivingly strong. What made it cause damage is the length of time and continuity it was capable of withstanding. It almost never stopped raining yesterday and just when it seemed that it would surrender and leave, it shouts an angry scream-as if shouting at the people, houses, buildings and streets. Quite a sadistic storm Ondoy is.
Earlier that day, people were calling me, telling me that their parents would not allow them to step foot outside their houses thereby forfeiting their seats to my birthday party-a party that was to set a milestone in my life. My time to formally become an adult; a MAN. I remained optimistic that all would be well. After all, never has it been in the past that the metropolis did not stand tall amidst calamities. No, no, no, no, NO! The metropolis has much to boast to be taken down by a petty storm. What made me more optimistic was the fact that a good number of people were assuring me that they'd come til I woke up to my senses. Was I being selfish? Or maybe I just did not want to waste money since the contracts we entered were non-transferrable; non-refundable? When our relatives texted us of the situation in Sta. Mesa, I knew I should definitely cancel my gathering. This day was not about me. This day was about my loved ones who I may endanger for my stubbornness and when I saw the situation in the tv, I realized it further branches out to a grander scope. This day was about a good portion of the city being enslaved by nature's anger.
And so with this, we are left with more or less 50 people dead and a good hundreds or thousands displaced. People being stranded in their roofs. People being stuck in the streets. Cars being washed away in the streets as if they were mere debris, crashing into each other and floating around like they were cheap, disposable items...
It saddens me and I feel great sympathy to those who were affected by this tragedy. I am thankful that we were lucky enough to be unaffected by this calamity. However, I feel a strong urge to act. To do something about this dismal state we currently face.. I will talk to my siblings how we could send donations. If Citi will not have any campaign, I will simply join what Sunlife started early today.. Let us all do our part..
This truly is quite a humbling situation.. I now fully understand what the Bicol, Batanes, VISMIN areas go through each year when they get struck by these types of calamities.
God bless us all and may we all be better prepared in the future. Resilience does not prevent deaths and destructions caused by calamities..
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