Typhoon Ondoy: Commending Unselfish People

No joke! The typhoon that hit the Metro last weekend brought countless memories. Well, sad memories. Who would have thought that in a span of six hours, the amount of rainfall was equivalent to a month? Some reports said that the last time the Metro encountered such terrible calamity was in the year 1967.

At around late afternoon on Saturday, September 26, 2007, 70% of Metro Manila was already flooded. A lot of people were stranded from different areas: some were at the road, while others were at their offices or school campuses. At around mid-night of the same day, rescue teams from the government tried to deploy their rubber boats, but sad to say, it couldn't enter the affected areas due to the strong current.

People from private sectors on the other hand tried to help through asking donations both in cash and in kind. Ateneo De Manila for instance, opened their doors for evacuees and fed them, while La Salle Greenhills took part in looking for people who could lend their rubber boats for the rescue, as well as volunteers who could help them up.

No doubt, in times of trouble such as this, people have no one to lean on to but their fellows as well. No doubt, in times like this, selfishness and greediness should not be found in anyone's dictionary. This post would want to commend private individuals, companies, and organizations who in one way or another took part in helping out those affected by Typhoon Ondoy.

- Jam 88.3 (The whole evening of Saturday, I was just tunning in to them. They were unselfish enough to serve their listeners through becoming a bridge in asking/seeking help for those affected.An FM radio turned AM for a night. Kudos to them!)

- Media. (Everything was really appreciated.)

- Schools and Universities who opened their campuses for evacuees as well as for their stranded employees and students. (The kindness you've given is more than enough.)

- Private companies or individuals who lent their boats, trucks, and other vehicles to help in the rescue operations. (You were able to really really help save lives of many.)

- Volunteers. (This goes to those people who took time in helping out through sorting out donations, as well as disseminating them.)

- People who donate goods and cash. (God will surely give it back to you, doubled.)

- Fellow bloggers. (This goes to those who tweeted and blogged information on how and were to seek help. The information you gave saved a lot of lives, and really gave hope for many as well.)

- There are a lot more who should be commended, but the space won't just be enough. So to everyone who extended help effortlessly and unselfishly, I personally salute you! I may just be an unknown blogger form the blog atmosphere, but this I am sure of, a private individual like me sees your efforts. Kudos (though there are a lot more things that need to be done)!

GOD BLESS us all.


P.S.

- If you happen to pass by my blog and would want to help, here's the information. Just click THIS.

Silently Searching

As the sun silently set, comes with it are magnificent rays as if telling me that though it’ll bid goodbye for awhile, it still owes me another tomorrow. Just another day to find the true meaning of my existence.

I guess I am not alone in that sense. I guess there are a lot more people out there, who, just like me, are still in search of the reasons why they’re living. Perhaps this is the toughest challenge of being alive. The challenge of knowing why God placed us here – wherever we may be at now.

Months ago, I was having this dilemma, well actually even up to now. I was trying to figure out why I had to go through all these struggles. Months ago, I was trying to go a deeper soul searching. It wasn’t the emo type, I mean just like how soul searching means for celebrities. It was more of searching the essence of the life that He has given me.

Lately, there were a lot of thoughts running through my head. It was like a school of fish trying to find a place where it could settle down. These thoughts kept on bugging me. At first I was just ignoring them but as days gone by, I could not help but notice them. And so finally, I gave these thoughts a place in my head.

Apparently, one of those was the thought of realizing one of my distant dreams, to inspire other people through my own little way. Sad to say though, I was discouraged. Knowing that I only have a couple of friends, that would really be impossible. Yet God works in mysterious ways. Days ago, I came across a probable movement, a group of people who share the same vision as mine. I only have to send them an email, and wait for their reply. To be a little descriptive, it’s a group of youth who promotes the true essence of love.

Ops! It isn’t mushy. It’s not the one you might be thinking of. There’s more to that description. They’re actually promoting a Godly living. Oh well, so much for that. The catch here is actually this, silently I searched, silently the answers are one by one, coming my way.

Call me too idealistic. Call me an old school. Call me not “in”. Call me whatever you want to. I don’t really care anyway. I guess this is a good way to start my dream. A dream of becoming a good example not just in front of the people I know, but much more to those who I don’t really know.

As the sun set, I know it’ll rise again. And as it comes shining the next day, it as well means another day to fulfill what my existence is all about. It may not be that clear yet, I know, soon, everything’s going to be handed to me.

Daughter of a Politician

No, I am not talking about a particular declamation piece here. I am talking about me, myself, and I. Yes, I am a daughter of a politician. But let me rephrase that, I was and perhaps would be a daughter of a politician again (my father did not win last election but planning to run again, that’s why).

DISCLAIMER: This is not neither a political propaganda nor a campaign piece.

Anyway, being a daughter of a politician is a combination of being fortunate and unfortunate. That sounds confusing, right? Well, I find it fortunate because of the popularity that you’ll get. The fact that your father was elected as a government official gives you a lot of privileges. Unfortunate though because of the criticisms you’d hear from almost every corner, also, the fact that you always have to do right or else, you might ruin the name of your father.

But nonetheless, everything was okay. I never really had any bad experience of being a politician’s daughter except the fact that there are just really some people that are hard to please. Anyway, I love being a politician’s daughter because I’ve learned how bad the situations of our poor constituents are, and that you’d learn to care for them along the way – as you get to know them. I love the fact that in one way or another, I realized how fortunate I am.

Though being a politician’s daughter requires a lot of things, I still love it. I love how busy we become whenever elections are coming. I love how we post election paraphernalia around the municipality, and giving out my father’s portfolio of achievements. Just for your information, believe me or not, it was only not during my father’s first time to run that we did give money (just to people who went to our home), after which, during the second and last term of my father as a municipal councilor, never did we vote buy again. Oh! But the cleanest election participation my father has ever gone through was last elections. He, not even a single centavo gave any, which apparently is the greatest factor why he lost. We have no enough machinery as well. Imagine, my father’s co-candidates gave 1000 and 800 pesos respectively while we gave nothing.

Anyway, being my father’s daughter allowed me to know the basics of how politics has become in our municipality, in our country. I was able to witness how dirty elections are. I was able to witness how cruel some people could be just to be in the position. I was able to see how other people can ruin their fellows’ reputation just to earn what they want, again, position in the government.

Also, I was able to learn how to deal with other people. How it is to talk to those underprivileged, and feel so blessed that you’re not suffering like the way they do. I was able to visualize how I could someday help my underprivileged fellows. I was able to recognize what the politicians should give importance to. I was able to realize how capable I am to make a difference someday. Oh wait! I am not planning to run – for now (hahaha).

Furthermore, more than the negativities that being a daughter of a politician could give, I always look forward to the positive side of it. After all, that’s what it should be, right? Actually, after everything has been said, the catch here is, being a daughter of a politician entitled me to know how it is to care and love your fellows especially those who are not as lucky as I am.