After Ondoy

I have been in Metro Manila the past twenty years. I've been stuck in its horrendous traffic for hours, I've witnessed its worst road accidents, I've groped my way in the dark in its large-scale blackouts, I've waded through its waist-deep floods, I've seen it battered by typhoon one after the other, but I have never seen it the way it is now after Ondoy. A large part of the metro submerged in flood, many dying from drowning, cold and hunger, people on top of the roof for days waiting to be rescued, people on life vests and rubber boats, people swimming to dry land for dear life, cars floating, cars on top of another, shanties destroyed and uprooted - this metro is just one big total mess after Ondoy.

But after Ondoy comes a display of Filipino oneness- the rescue efforts by several groups, fund raising by different organizations, the mobilization of donations by ordinary citizens and netizens. It is very heartwarming to see people showing their care for people they don't even know or may never meet in their lifetime.

Ondoy may have destroyed our appliances and furniture, our houses and cars, our roads and bridges, but it was not able to destroy the strength and optimism that reside in every Filipino. I know the Philippines will rise after Ondoy. The best of Filipino surfaces after the worst tragedy. Stay strong, Pinoy!