Christmas – a new journey of optimism and hope

Just as we were about to begin our nine-day Advent novena prayer (or Simbang Gabi) last week, Super Typhoon Odette hit the Visayas and Mindanao islands with strong winds, heavy rainfall and storm surges that destroyed homes, uprooted trees and toppled power lines.

Super Typhoon Odette, equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane, is the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year. It made landfall nine times, causing massive floods in: (1) Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte; (2) Cagdianao, Dinagat Islands; (3) Liloan, Southern Leyte; (4) Padre Burgos, Southern Leyte; (5) President Carlos P. Garcia, Bohol; (6) Bien Unido, Bohol; (7) Carcar, Cebu; (8) La Libertad, Negros Occidental; (9) Roxas, Palawan.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) initially reported that millions of households were affected, over 330,000 people were evacuated. The typhoon left over 63 cities and municipalities without electricity, affected 73 seaports and had over 160 domestic and international flights cancelled.

Typhoon Odette exited the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) at 12:40 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 18. According to initial reports from the local government units, the typhoon left over a dozen people dead and caused huge destruction in parts of Mindanao and the Visayas. “Our landscape in the aftermath is reminiscent of, if not worse than, when Yolanda hit our province,” Dinagat Governor Arlene Bag-ao said.

According to DPWH Undersecretary Emerson Benitez, damage to infrastructure, particularly roads and bridges alone, has been estimated at P178.4 million. This does not include buildings and private structures.

The provinces of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, Negros Occidental , Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental, Biliran, Leyte and Eastern Samar experienced power interruption.

By the way, in the midst of this typhoon, I was changing channels both on the radio and on my television set, hoping to find up to date news about how the typhoon has hit the different areas but to my dismay no station covered this disaster as extensively as how ABS-CBN did in the past. In hindsight, President Duterte and his allies in the House of Representatives shouldn’t have closed ABS-CBN. They should have just sanctioned the station to pay up to their mistakes, if any. They should actually acknowledge how this station has helped our country bring the news from North to South and from East to West and how it has grown significant in helping the country. Our poorly equipped PTV channel doesn’t have the ability to do the job of such public service. This is one endeavor our future leader must actually prioritize.

Well, this double-whammy situation with the threat of COVID-19 virus (and numbers rising again) still lingering around is quite devastating. Those in evacuation centers must continue to protect themselves with face masks and get vitamins to boost their immune systems. But how can they even think of any safety precautions when survival is the priority. This is where government must exert more effort in creating good and effective systems in providing temporary shelter, food, clothing, medicine and other basic needs to the people.

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Isn’t this very timely? Is God trying to send us a message? While everyone is politicking amidst the pandemic, He sends us a typhoon. Not just a storm but a super typhoon, the strongest ever.

Truly, we can always see the worst and best in our leaders during a disaster. By their deeds you will know them (Matthew 7:16). You know who are sincere in reaching out. Those who care versus those who are callous and cold. Those who are pretending to care. In Filipino, the term “pakitang tao” describes how our public servants are like today. They only come out to show off. They want people to believe that they are sincere and truthful in their words, actions and deeds but in reality there is a very dark side to them.

In fact, they can easily sway and influence the masa, making the poor and illiterate adore them, hail them as their savior, their answered prayer. Little do they know how much they abuse power and steal from the country’s coffers. These dirty politicians have made an industry out of governance. They are the very reason we continue to suffer and why we never progress.

The sad fact is that Filipinos allow bad leaders to easily influence them. Even with lessons from history already written and told, many choose to ignore the stories, allowing corruption, greed and abusive power to prevail without making them accountable. Many of the poor and illiterate are easily swayed by money. They are not principled enough to fight for what is right, to help protect our country from the force of evil and to sustain their future. On the day of the elections, they are easily lured by what they will receive from the corrupt politician, forgetting the suffering and sacrifices of the life they live. So, this vicious cycle will continue to repeat itself unless our people start to think right.

By this tragic event, a week before Christmas, isn’t God giving us a chance to cleanse our hearts and our spirits? One more chance to clearly see right from wrong, good from bad? I am pretty sure that this nation is tired of the politicians from the Old Order. Aren’t we weary of the contending political parties of the Old Republic or the apparently “new” parties, party-lists and groups that have sprung up, cloaking old ambitions in the trappings of a new crusade?

My late father would always get annoyed by the word “new” in every political slogan. He would quip – the word “new” is a bit frayed and has gotten discredited over the years, with such flashy titles as “New Society,” “New Filipino” and “New Republic” being tarnished and misused. But what is called for is a New Opposition and a fresh array of leaders who have not been scarred or tarred by the old politics.

Just as Christmas was born in Bethlehem to signal the conclusion and fulfillment of the Old Testament, a New Political Testament must be laid out to give the Filipino people an opportunity to begin anew, to start out on a journey of optimism and hope.

Here’s wishing everyone God’s love and protection in the coming days, in the coming year. Merry Christmas!