Reflections of an Ondoy survivor

MARIKINA CITY, 9 Nov. 2009

MANILA, Philippines –  Our Ateneoville Ondoy story was published in the front page of a major newspaper, (Philippine STAR - In the Eye and Teeth of Ondoy; 30 Sept. 2009)  so I will not narrate it again. Instead I’ll share three reflections on our Ondoy experience hoping our country will have the God fearing, country loving president she deserves and that Filipinos will enjoy the good governance they deserve.

Life, above all, is most important

At the height of evacuating people (children and women first) from their homes in our village, some (particularly where only the househelp and children were present) hesitated to leave their houses. Others tried to delay their evacuation, saving more material things. We, however, did not hesitate to force them to leave. We were prepared to be accused of overreacting or panicking if the flood did not come rather than lose a life because we were afraid of the former.

In a meeting with our community at our second evacuation center on the second floor of the nearby Rusty Lopez building, a mother in the nearby village that was practically inundated by the swollen river asked me if her 12-year-old son survived as she left him at their house. I had no answer.

Returning the day after to check the damages the flood caused in our homes, we all felt sad yet grateful that no life was taken. This helped us accept our material losses and to start helping the communities nearby a week after cleaning our village. (I admire a homeowner who told me she needed to clean her house immediately as she wanted to go to Ateneo to help in relief operations.)

Three events confirming a most important lesson during disasters – life, above all is most important.

The best and the worst in Filipinos – but mostly the best

Each time I am asked about my Ondoy experience, I do not fail to mention that I’ve seen and heard the best and worst in Filipinos then – but mostly the best.

I’ve seen and heard of an actor just saving his fellow actress and media hyping he is a hero; of a supermarket that would not allow people with dirty (muddy) feet to enter its premises; of relief goods not being allowed to be delivered to devastated communities during the crucial hours the day or so after simply because it did not have a piece of paper from government; of local politicians changing plastic bags with those with their names on it; of public school evacuation centers losing their electric fans, books, after helping the flood victims; of international relief goods not reaching the intended recipients.

Yet I’ve witnessed young people wading through chest-deep floodwaters with strong currents, one of whom asked to be excused after four trips saving stranded children and women from houses with second floors due to psychological fear because he simply does not know how to swim. (Amazing how he forgot this simple fact because he was busy saving other people.) The owner of the Rusty Lopez building agreeing to have its second floor as evacuation center without any hesitation; the many volunteers who helped us clean our village; receiving pledges worth P30,000 for school supplies of the children in the nearby community that was practically drowned by the swollen river a few hours after I asked for help; of poor people (you could tell they were poor with the meager food they had in a small plastic bag, the muddied t-shirt, shorts and slippers they wore) in the jeep I rode Thursday morning giving their precious peso coins and meager food to two poor children who suddenly entered the vehicle and asked for donations; and of many, many more cases of the Filipino – rich, middle class, and poor –showing empathy (malasakit in our language) for their fellow Filipinos in need. 

What made the difference between the worst and the best in Filipinos? The worst was because Filipinos only thought of themselves and of material things. The best was because Filipinos valued life, above all, more than material things (my first reflection) and more so, valued life of another person (kapwa in our language) more than one’s own.

I was only able to watch the news by late Wednesday night (30 Sept. 2009 or five days after Ondoy struck) and I shed tears seeing and hearing how many Filipinos died. But I had a chance to visit the Ateneo Professional Schools chapel in Rockwell Thursday morning and shed tears of joy reflecting on how so many Filipinos – rich, middle class, and poor – generously and selflessly gave a part of themselves to those in need.

Yes, mostly the best in the Filipinos. I am proud to be a Filipino because of all of them. And this brings me to my third reflection.

The country needs a God-fearing, country-loving leader and the Filipino people deserve good governance.  

Why are we surprised with taxi drivers returning money or things not their own? Don’t many if not most of them do so, only that media were not able to cover all of them? If many if not most of our military and policemen are so corrupt, why are most of them still poor? Is it because many if not most of them are simply doing their work for love of country? How many policemen do you know or have you heard actually saying he/ she will not allow his/her child to eat food bought from stolen money? Or policemen driving taxis after work hours just to earn more income to feed their children honorably?

And then we hear of government leaders linked to the ZTE-NBN corruption deal. The math is simple – $329 million is about P15 billion at P47-$1 and 30,000 classrooms at P500,000 (high end cost) each. When the government suggests we just cut the number of hours of classes to solve classroom lack instead of curbing corruption, you know something is terribly wrong.

I do not subscribe to showbiz people (Edu Manzano included) suggesting that the new President forget the sins of the past government and move forward instead of filing charges to account for past misdeeds. It is because we forget that we are bound to repeat them again and have such bad government.

Nor will I agree to those telling the Filipino people no one is to blame for the deaths caused by Ondoy except God. He may have brought record rainfall, but preparedness and post-typhoon reactions by national and local government are their responsibilities. Filipinos have all the right to blame them because they (not private corporations and citizens) have taxpayers’ money at their disposal.

The Lord of the Rings story tells of Aragorn, destined to be king, once lamenting why he had to fight the evil Saruman when he could just marry Arwen and live a peaceful life. Seeing how the hobbits (often likened to Filipinos), so simple and loving life as is, he submits it is because of them that he must accept his destiny.

Such is why many if not most Filipinos who are generous and selfless, patient and caring for their fellow people (my second reflection) and sometimes to a fault deserve a God-fearing, country-loving president and good governance. We deserved and had one then by the name of Cory Aquino. We deserve and can have one again in 2010.