This is the evening of November 14, 2013, when all the wailing are reverberating and Christmas carols seem to be postponed. Too many concerts were canceled but too many concerts being put up for the benefits of the tragedounts. This is the date when we are suppose to celebrate the birth of a great woman, Carmelita Te Veridiano, my Filipino teacher, but we just cannot do that. This is the day ten years ago when we ate as a group in a chicken soup house in Liliw Lagubna when there was no electricity current at all because of the typhoon. That was ten years ago, when students can roam around the other town despite the presence of a storm.
Today, it is very much different. An archbishop is asking for a day of prayer, fasting and silence after a calamity. International concerts like that of Matchbox 20 and Foxes were cancelled so as not to insult the mourning populace only to find out local communities are organizing benefit concerts as a form of empathy to people who were ruined by the typhoon surge. This happened after a massive earthquake struck the country not even a month ago. These are evident signs of a new world order, of a day after tomorrow scene, of apocalyptic premonitions.
Nonetheless, the magnitude of the storm is something which human science is still trying to explain and figure out. Most of the time it is bringing fear and tremble to my people, some are seeing this as a form of chastisement and others are stoic about this and believe that it is part of the natural order of things. I am calm knowing that Go dis in full control. The picture of a portion of humanity helping each others hands to lift the victims up from the horrors of yesterday makes you feel at ease about it. It is a lesson which we are learning over and over again. First, with Ondoy; second with the March 11 earthquake and Japan tsunami; with Haiti's earthshake; with habagat; with Pablo; with Boh-Cebu quake and now with the aftermath of Yolanda. Humanity has to stand as a race. Nothing should hold us down.
It is the same motto that comes to mind as I recollect the good old story that happened ten years ago. We were a whole batch gathered in Madre Ignacia hall for a career guidance spearheaded by the Rotary Club in Nagcarlan. They spoke about their careers. One of the speakers was Mr. Tubana, our own teacher. They inspired the entire batch of their stories amidst the rain that makes it hard for us to hear them. They answered most of our questions. I can remember how Mary Blanch ask them a question and bringing out her dilemma about what career path to choose. That was the birthday of Mrs. Veridiano. A rainy Friday. And still the group composed of Kevin, Jhoy, Jenna, Relmark, Daryl, Rene and me pursued a hang out after class. To eat somewhere in Liliw together. There was no electricity but still a happy moment for all of us. We are then aware that soon we will separate ways as we face our college lives. Nothing stopped us from bonding with each other. Not even the typhoon threat at that time. Not even the absence of electricity. Not even the consciousness that my Dad will hit me if I got home wet.
That's the spirit. The same spirit rooted in our being as members of the resilient Filipino offsprings. We are going to stand up no matter what. I want the world to know. I WANT my countrymen to remember that. I want us to prove it. I want the world to learn from us. I want to see happy and cheerful Filipinos composed after the tragic moment in our current history. I want us to SOAR!
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