after the storm…
Typhoon reming or "durian" as it was known internationally had wreaked havoc in the Bicol region…the deaths in Albay and the damage throughout Camarines Sur, Catanduanes and again, Albay were devastating, and somehow unexpected–at least for me who always gets the news later than most.
I presently live in Naga City…in a cemented apartment. Still, I felt the effects of the raging typhoon; one window was broken, "the gutter-pipe?" was torn off and water flooded the kitchen and living room…but I know it was nothing compared to what had happened to other Bicolanos…My laundry-woman’s house was completely destroyed. She made her children live with the neighbors, while she and her husband had to watch their belongings and sleep without a roof to shelter them.
There are so many other stories, of grief and loss. There are also those of survival, thank God. I cannot tell their stories well enough to make anyone reading this really feel what those people had gone through: we, who still go home to houses with roofs and who has not lost anyone.
There are relief drives, people who help out. On the other hand, there are those who take advantage of the situation with soaring prices for nipa, candles, and other necessities during the aftermath. Some people still manage to step on people who are already down!
After the storm, life goes on for so many. Electricity is back in so many houses in Camarines Sur. But we know how lonely Christmas day can be for those whose lines are still down. Maybe, just maybe, this time we will realize that Christmas is not about all the decor, all the food and the gifts that we get. Just as a debut is not about balls and gowns but about coming into age. Just as a wedding is not about lace and flowers, but of a union blessed by God. Christmas is about the celebration of the birth of Christ through loving and giving.
December 14th, 2006 at 7:42 am
i can’t agree more…