Shaken by the quake

It was quite odd why Mindanao recently experienced subsequent earthquakes in the past days over the week. They weren't just aftershocks from a major shock but another new earthquake. Several thought this could be a bad omen. The incidents were even mocked by a famous religious leader based in Davao, who claimed he could make the tremor stop. Whatever the superficial reason may be, activities like these that happen underground are caused by movements of the tectonic plates. They could neither be predicted nor controlled; it is nature's way of waking us up.

Many are now victims of the multiple quakes. Apart from lives and buildings lost are those who also lost hope to start again. It will be a painful start all over again, starting from scratch. The stress of having to go through rebuilding, and settling in will never be easy. It will never be. Sometimes I ask myself, why does this have to happen to the Philippines? Our country, the only Christian nation in this region, has been shaken not only once but a couple of times.

What can we pick up from the quake? There are many untold stories and truths that are left to be discovered. But I guess ultimately, it is the heart of a helper that has genuine care for one another that is fostered in this kind of situation. We are taught to stay strong amidst the trial; to be resilient is the key to make sure we keep going. However, there are still areas that can be improved by our local government unit in terms of response but there is no perfect disaster response as well.

It is unfair to compare what happened in Bohol five years ago with what happened in Mindanao recently. The deaths in one area compared to the deaths in another area cannot be the measure if things went better or not. But one thing is sure, that we have proved to the world that we can always extend a helping hand. The assessment of the damage can come later; what we need to focus on today is for everyone to have a place to sleep, water to drink, and food to eat.

Maybe you are also shaken by the earthquake. I guess somewhere, deep inside you is the desire to reach out but you don't know how. There are several drop-off points in different areas to make sure help reaches the place. Other organizations are even accepting volunteers to the area. There are many options, we just need to be resourceful.

May this be a lesson for all of us to stop the apathy. There is too much going on and there is no room for being apathetic today. Go out and help like we always do. Right? Filipinos are known to have each other's back no matter what. Let's prove that again.