This, too, shall pass: Hope in Habagat

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I woke up last Tuesday around 5 am after a kind but unseen “friend” has kept me awake since 3 am (story to follow in the near future, maybe a Halloween special).  I prepped myself up for work, had my breakfast, and marched to the office. I arrived 12 minutes before 8. It made me so proud because since August 1, I was able to arrive on time. Before 8 am, to be exact.

I was welcomed by Kuya (Filipino term for older brother) Malaga, our guard on duty, who made a mark at me for his poker face. He was scratching his head upon seeing me, “Sir, wala pong pasok ngayon” (Work in government offices is suspended).

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I shrugged him off, “Weh? Ano tayo, school”(Really? What do you think of us, schools?- *that day, classes in all levels have been suspended in Luzon), then unleashed some Al Claughter in the air.

“Inananounce nga sa tv” (It was announced on TV).

Upon being convinced that he was not joking, I went inside and watched the news. I was shocked. Ondoy days have returned. But what was transpiring before my very eyes were much worse. The heavy rains were not caused by a storm, but a Southwest Monsoon.

Gosh. I can’t help but freak out. I immediately called and texted relatives in the Metro. Thank God most of them were safe, spared from the ravishing floods that terrify those tuned in to their TV sets.  

Tuesday was another sad day for our country as key cities including Metro Manila and provinces within Regions 3 and 4 have been submerged in murky flood water due to the continuous heavy outpour. For two weeks, the heavens have been crying and now our fellow Filipinos are suffering. Like a movie, we see the same scenarios, only with a more devastating twist.

We see helpless people trapped on the streets, in their rooftops, in trees, and in every imaginable space yearning for help. Malls and other places of diversion have become a vantage of frustration for stranded strollers who wished they no longer defied bad weather and stayed on their homes instead. Vehicles line up on the streets, seeing no end to the long trail that extends infinitely. Rescue teams risk their lives in heroic efforts of evacuating residents who resisted early warnings of our local and national government. 

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Social networking sites instantly became the vantage point of updates, photos, and even prophetic posts relating the date yesterday (8-7-12) to Genesis 8:7:12, which tells the legendary story of Noah, and how the world ended in his time. Call for prayers and help spread like wildfire in text messages.

But despite being grief-stricken upon losing their possessions and even their loved ones, the tragedy of Habagat unleashed the spirit of Bayanihan (A Filipino trait where people help each other especially in times of tragedy) that has slept long inside of us. Habagat has neutralized the social strata that divide our nation. 

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Famous, unknown, rich, impoverished, everyone was working round-the-clock to help the victims of nature’s latest wrath.

Even victims trapped in their roofs can still manage to smile and wave in front of the camera, showing that Divine faith dwells in their hearts, and replenishes in their spirit the hope of beginning anew.

Upon seeing the condition of our fellow Filipinos, a song of hope plays in my heart:

“I believe for every drop of rain that falls, a flower grows, I believe that somewhere in the darkest nights, a candle glows, I believe for everyone who goes astray, someone will come to show the way, I believe, I believe”. 

Everything happens for a reason. 

This, too, shall pass. 

Amen.