Living with super howlers

Yolanda, Pablo and Odette. Super typhoons have become the “new normal.”

Super howlers are here to stay, and may get stronger than previous ones every time.

We Filipinos just have to live with the phenomenon of tree-uprooting winds, giant waves and rampaging floods caused by super typhoons.

And every time super typhoons batter our shores, there will be fewer death tolls because people made preparations.

The reason Yolanda inflicted heavy fatalities was due to ignorance.

The government at the time of Yolanda said there would be “storm surges” which people didn’t understand. Had the Noynoy Aquino administration warned of tsunamis or tidal waves during the howler, people would have evacuated to higher grounds.

Yolanda’s death toll was pegged at 6,300, but some officials on the ground said the number could be more than 20,000.

Supertyphoon Odette, although it brought extensive and heavy damage to property like Yolanda and Pablo, was not as deadly as its super howler “sisters.”

People were prepared for the coming of Odette and so the death toll was not as heavy as its predecessors Yolanda and Pablo.

*      *      *

Even in the midst of misery and suffering, Filipinos can still afford to smile.

The Filipino’s penchant for taking serious matters lightly is exemplified by a family stranded on the roof of their home in Loboc, Bohol while floodwaters were rampaging around them.

A netizen took a picture of the family. Some of them were smiling while one even waved at the guy who took the photo.

Resilience, the ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change (Webster’s definition), makes us survive as a nation.

Two years after Yolanda, Tacloban City, epicenter of the super howler, was back on its feet. It’s as if nothing happened.

So was Bohol, which was devastated by a strong earthquake a month before Yolanda battered Tacloban and other parts of Eastern Visayas.

Like Tacloban, Bohol was back on its feet like no tragedy ever struck the province.

*      *      *

I’m sure resilience would pull through our household help, Wendy, whose mother, uncle and aunt died one after the other of COVID-19 in a town near Dumaguete City.

Wendy flew home after she was told that her mother was very sick.

Despite being administered Tocilizumab, which my family sent to the hospital in Dumaguete, Wendy’s mother passed on.

Tocilizumab is an anti-COVID medicine which has saved many lives like my wife, Josephine, who was given less than “50-50 chances” of surviving.

Perhaps Tocilizumab came too late, or Wendy’s mother died because she didn’t believe in getting vaccinated; Josephine did.

Two days after Wendy’s mother died, her mother’s brother also died, and then her aunt.

In a span of a week, there were three deaths in the family whose houses are close to each other.

Nobody in their barangay would go near their house for fear of being contaminated with the deadly ailment, Wendy wrote to me in a text message.

After the series of tragedies came Odette.

Wendy said there was no electricity in their community (and all of the places Odette visited – RTT) making it difficult for her family to hold vigils for their deceased relatives.

Sometimes tragedies take place, and we can’t understand why they had to happen.

As Wendy wrote: “Nganong nahitabo man ni sa amo, sir (Why did these happen to us)?”

*      *      *

One of the government officials who have had sleepless nights since Odette struck is Sen. Richard Gordon.

Yes, it’s not Dick’s responsibility as senator to take care of victims of tragedy, but he is chairman of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC).

Dick’s concern is how the Red Cross can deliver relief goods to typhoon victims, aside from making his presence felt in areas devastated by the recent super typhoon.

By the way, the Red Cross is not an agency of the government; it’s a universal humanitarian organization.

There is a lack of transportation and airports in the affected areas, and they can’t accommodate large planes to ferry relief goods.

Of course, there’s a cargo ship, which the PRC acquired through Dick’s initiative, but it would take time – probably from two to three days – for the ship to arrive, carrying relief goods.

Dick and his Red Cross staff have been flying back and forth between Manila and places struck by Odette.

But their planes can only carry so much cargo for the typhoon victims.

Gordon’s voice sounded worried when I talked to him over the phone a few days ago because of the lack of transportation.

Dick, now that you’ve done your best in helping the tragedy victims, just leave everything now to the Universe.

*      *      *

Four policemen assigned in Taguig City were arrested after a gunfight with their fellow cops after they robbed a Japanese resident in his home in Pasig City of P10 million.

Why is it not surprising to read about cops becoming robbers, gun-for-hire, kidnappers, murderers and rapists?

Because policemen becoming criminals is no longer news; it’s commonplace.

No matter how much raise in pay and allowance you give members of the Philippine National Police (PNP), many of them will still resort to a life of crime.

Why? Because most policemen entered the force for the wrong reasons: they wanted the power of the gun.

PNP psychiatrists or psychologists should have detected the flaw in their character when they applied; but these defects were just overlooked.

The palakasan (influence) system is still prevalent in accepting candidates for the police force.

Relatives of high PNP officials or politicians are given preference over other candidates even if these recommended persons are not qualified.

Even at the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA), the son of a high-ranking PNP official was made to graduate even if he failed in many subjects.