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| Thursday, 01 October 2009 00:28 | |||||||
Who would have thought? A few hours later, it was no longer just a news ticker story – it was a major breaking story around the world! The news on CTV, CBC, CNN, and on radio kept on saying “Philippine capital Manila” and central Philippines. Our relatives are mostly in the Metro Manila area. My mom started getting nervous and tried calling my auntie and cousins who reside in Angono, Rizal, but their phones just kept on ringing. So, she started a telephone campaign trying to find out from our relatives and friends here in Winnipeg if they had heard from their kin back home in the Philippines. My cousin was able to get hold of her in-laws in Malabon and it was a relief to know that the flooding was “only knee-high,” which most Malabon residents have been quite used to through the years. “Nothing unusual or out of the ordinary in Malabon and even in Kalookan…” she said. We also got an update from my friend whose mother and sister live in Parañaque. She learned that their home’s main floor was also submerged in water. Her sister who was already at her Manila office when the rain started to pour on Saturday morning decided to go back home. The car she was driving eventually got submerged. She had to leave the vehicle and was left with no choice but to walk nearly three kilometres in chest high water, clinging to rope guides provided by good Samaritans lest she got swept away in the strong current. She reached their Parañaque home safe but very tired, muddy and wet. Her mother was already safe in the house’s second floor. In a text she sent to her sister here in Winnipeg, she noted that the spirit of bayanihan was very strong with people helping fellow kababayans as they waded through the murky floodwater. My faith in the goodness of our fellow Filipinos was restored when I heard this story. My mother was only able to talk to my aunt on the phone on Sunday evening. They’re fine. The main floor of the house was still under water but everyone is safe. Their main problem, my aunt said, was the lack of drinking and cooking water. Plus the clean-up, which may take several days, and assessing the damage to the furniture and appliances that were too heavy to carry to the second floor. Other than that, they are OK. But there are thousands of Filipinos who can’t say the same. As of press time, close to two million people are said to be in dire need of relief aid. Typhoon Ondoy did not discriminate between the rich and the poor. Even the posh villages were inundated. Forbes Park homes were not spared. Even movie stars like Christine Reyes had to be rescued from her mansion’s rooftop. The only difference is the rich can easily replace their belongings and recover their lifestyles – the poor cannot. There are many civic and church groups raising funds to send help to the typhoon victims. It does not really matter which one you donate to – most of them have charitable tax receipts for donations $10 and over – as long as you give. It also does not matter whether we give a dollar, ten dollars or more – every cent counts during this time of need. *** On behalf of the Pilipino Express team, we wish you a happy Thanksgiving celebration on October 12. We certainly have much to be thankful for. We may be living in a country where winters can be harsh but we thank God that we are able to live through that in the comfort of our heated homes. We may have complained about the bummer summer that we just had but now, I am more than grateful that we did not have the tornadoes or the hurricanes that tore through some North American cities these past few months. I certainly am thankful that our families are safe and dry here in our city that derived its name from the Cree word that means “muddy waters” – Winnipeg. Most of all, we thank all of you for your support and we hope you will continue providing us your comments and feedback so that we may be able to continue our service to you, our readers. Thank you for reading Pilipino Express News Magazine. To our advertisers: our deepest gratitude for supporting our cause. Sa inyong lahat, maraming salamat po.
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