We in the Philippines consider ourselves natural-disaster veterans. We have earthquakes. We have volcanoes, we have typhoons: up to twenty each year, which are growing more ferocious. These days, the sight of a street in Manila under four feet of water is no longer a source of amazement, just an inconvenience. By now, we know the drill: we’re sitting in the most storm-prone part of the ocean, not to mention the earthquake- and volcano-filled Ring of Fire. These things happen. We survive, and deal with the damage, with the help of the international community. Along the way, there will be chaos, and infuriating reports of corruption and ineptitude; there will be storms of blame, but we get up and collect ourselves. Our vocabulary expands with each new disaster: from “tsunami” and “fault line” to “pyroclastic flow,” “lahar,” and, now, “storm surge. Much has been said about the resilience of the Filipinos—and it is not just public relations. It is a fact. Yes, the situation is dire, and please, we need help very badly, but we are not helpless. In Manila, private citizens are collecting donations for typhoon victims. Many offices have cancelled their Christmas parties—in the Philippines, this is a very big deal—and donated the funds instead to the Red Cross and other relief agencies. Even before the government, relief agencies, and international community started sending aid to the hardest-hit areas, Filipinos had snapped into action. As veterans of disaster, they hope that officialdom will help, but they know that they must help their own families. Family reigns supreme in Philippine society—as one of my friends quipped, the impulse that leads our politicians to build dynasties is simply an exaggerated form of their desire to take care of their families. - Jessica Zafra
Posted on: Wed, 13 Nov 2013 16:42:01 +0000
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