philippines | What's your story?

Frozen

Frozen
Never had a chance.
Frozen
Always making people glance.

Their smell is nose scrunching
The sight stomach hurling
Their skin surely as cold as ice
Frozen,
Their color as black as the mice

Frozen,
Never with a proper goodbye
Frozen,
No one in exception,
Whether if you were a girl or a guy.

Hundreds of them still missing,
Our government barely doing anything.
Frozen lined up on the streets,
Still and unmoving,
Covered in sheets.

Frozen,
Taken by Haiyan.
Frozen,
But not forgotten.

—————————–
One of the hardest parts of being a survivor, is seeing those who were not lucky enough to pull themselves out of the deathly cold waters. Everyday I would see people passing by, with a body on a blanket, carried on their shoulders. The churches were lined up with the dead, and the morgue, running out of caskets, have no choice but to wait for the Department of Health to collect the bodies.

Frozen, they all are.

My mother’s journey

Our house after the storm

As I sat up on our makeshift bed, which was made of a wet comforter and wet pillows laid on the floor, my heart broke. It wasn’t a dream after all.

It was a day after the storm, and I was still getting used to the fact that the strongest storm in the world damaged my hometown. The part of the window that was broken could easily peek onto our town, which was filled with washed out houses and trees on the road. The huge truck that “floated” towards the road was moved, which helped people to cross the road without difficulty. But the mess and the reminder of the storm were still there.

The afternoon after the storm, one of my uncles came over and helped us with some of the mess. He fixed one of the gates to create some kind of security in our house. Our gas burner was luckily saved, and we scouted what we could yesterday from our grandmother’s store: canned goods, noddles and such. Since our kitchen was not passable yet, we could not reach our own canned goods. We had three jugs of clean drinking water which were luckily still sealed.

As the sun began to peak over the horizon, I began to make my way downstairs. It was not as messy as the day before, since we have moved some furniture around to let others pass through the living room easily. The two broken widows on either side of the door were covered with curtains. I began to boil water and cook breakfast, which was made of Spam and noodles. Our day was set to begin cleaning my grandmother’s house, whose furniture have stacked together. It was going to be a long day.

(Meanwhile, in a giant airplane a thousand miles up)

My eyes feel heavy as I wait inside the military plane. Beside me were men and volunteers on route towards Tacloban, my hometown. Since the storm hit yesterday I have been sleepless, trying to calm myself. I have lost communication with my daughter since the storm, and the news of how devastating it was worsened my worry for my family. Through multiple connections I managed to get a flight in a C130 military plane, the second plane to reach Tacloban since the storm. I only had two hours of sleep, listening to the news and looking out for any sign that they would be okay.

Soldiers beside me began to gasp and curse, so I took a peek from the window. What I saw was simply heartbreaking: everything in Tacloban seemed to be washed out. The moonlight shone on the sea, giving light to the pieces of wood that once held up houses. The airport that we were going to land on was not the same as before, the control tower and the main building missing windows and roofs.

When I got off the plane, a cold chill went up my spine. I grabbed my luggage as I made my way towards the exit of the airport, which was practically missing. With no phone service I could not contact anyone to fetch me from the airport, so I began to walk. There were no leaves in the trees, the roads covered with furniture, wood and other things that belong in a house. There were dead bodies lined up on the road, covered with cloth. I did my best to not look at them, their family members mourning beside them.

After a few minutes I spot a familiar face, and I called him immediately. He was my friend and a known philanthropist, riding in a black motorcycle. He was a heaven sent savior for me, as he offered to give me a ride home. Faces of my kids began to flash in my mind, worrying immensely of their safety. My heart sank when I thought of my mother and sister, who were under the care of my kids.

When we were halfway to the house, the motorcycle suddenly ran out of gas. My friend promised to come back for me, leaving me in a building for shelter. It was a place I would pass by everyday, but it looked foreign as there was no more roof or windows. I waited for what seemed like hours, determined to get home. My friend finally arrived a while later, and we made our way home. Left and right I would see the houses that were barely there, fallen tree trunks and roofs on the pavement. I saw the school that my kids went to, barely recognizable. I shivered as I saw an arm sticking out of a rubble, frozen and turning black.

As my house came to view, I saw that there were no roof nor windows on the house that I lived my whole life in. Trees and furniture were outside, the gate broken and it looked like no one was home. I immediately rushed to my own house, and saw the destruction. My breathing and heart rate hitched up as it looked ghostly, and my throat seemed to close up.

“Le-an!”

I began to call. A thousand thoughts began to enter my head, one of them concluding that I didn’t have my eldest daughter in that house. I was scared that someone would say “Le-an is not here anymore”. But I steeled myself as I tried to make my voice louder.

“Le-an!”

There was a pause, maybe the longest pause of my life. But the best feeling washed over me as I heard her voice.

“Mommy!”

————————————————
As I mentioned on my previous blog, my mom was in Manila during the storm as she was called for a work training. She told us her story on how she got home, a very inspirational story of how a determined mother did everything to come home. I love my mom. <3

Here are some pictures, as promised:

These pictures were during the first day, right after the storm.

This was on the second day, after we’ve cleaned up a bit. Still, the damage was devastating.

Meeting Haiyan: The first hand experience

It’s been more than a week since the super typhoon, but I remember it like it just happened.

When I woke up at around 5 am, it was dark, since our electricity was already cut a few hours ago. Since our bedroom had glass doors, I could clearly see the trees bending and about to break, the clouds in a dangerous grey. I knew that Haiyan was bearing its teeth, smiling evilly. I knew that it has landed in Guiuan, the eastern side of Samar which was a three hour drive from Tacloban. I had three hours to get my family ready, as it was estimated to hit our city at eight that morning. The house began to creek and the wind began to whistle. We joked around, saying that the wind knew how to whistle and my sister could not. Little did we know, that the wind would soon whistle harder.

Since my mom couldn’t get home from Manila because of a work training, it was just me, my three siblings, my grandmother and my aunt at home. I started my day like it was normal, deciding to cook chicken for breakfast. Our kitchen was located at our grandmother’s house, a door away from our own house. The wind outside began to pick up, the rain accompanying the storm. My siblings went to my grandmother’s room, which was located on the first floor. Since I could not check on the house myself, I asked my brother to go to our living room to make sure things are fine.

That was the last normal thing that happened.

The roof of our garage began to strip itself, hurling towards my grandmother’s garden. Their dog was barking furiously, but we were afraid to go out because of the wind. The water from the outside poured through the roof, the drip drops becoming a slow stream of water. When I finished cooking, I checked on my brother who still did not return. Our main door, which was a huge and made of wood, was threatening to burst open because of the wind. He blocked the door with two of our strongest chairs, whose width covered most of the door.

I went back to my grandmother’s house to check on them, my feet were met by rainwater on the floor. One of the wood that framed the window suddenly flew towards the floor, and water came rushing in. Just when I thought it could not get worse, one of the wooden panels of our roof fell. With the two holes providing the water a way to get in the house, I led my grandmother and aunt towards our house. I went towards our room to fetch my phone, but the room was already wet. The culprit? Our door was already open, the glass sliding door before it was already in pieces. The roof was shaking, our ceiling fan looking like it was hanging by a thread. I frantically called my brother and my sister, and we tried to push our bed towards the door. But it only made matters worse, making the other door open with force. We decided to take the important things towards my brothers room, like our files, gadgets and such. The heavy drawers felt like lightweight, as the adrenalin started to kick in. Outside you could see the outline of the EYE of the storm, hovering and as threatening as it could be.

My grandmother’s house was already full of water, which could be seen from our window. My grandmother began to cry hysterically, mumbling and praying. My sister began to cry too, feeling hopeless and praying that our house wouldn’t be destroyed. I tried my best to calm them down, suggesting that we go downstairs for breakfast. When my eyes landed on my brother, his arms were clutching the wooden chair, the door still fighting the wind. He told us to hurriedly eat, his voice shaking as he used his strength on the chair. We all hurriedly lit our candles, prayed then began to eat.

But when I heard my sister shriek, I noticed the water in our living room. Water was rushing from our main door and from the door leading towards our grandmother’s house, and another rush of adrenalin began to surge in my veins. I told them to pack everything; the canned goods, the biscuit and even the newly cooked chicken, and run upstairs. My brother was still struggling with the door as we packed everything in our plastic container. The water was already at our knees when we rushed towards the stairs. By the time I reached my brother, which was just seconds, the huge window which was as tall as our main door exploded, the water surging towards us. My brother let go of the door as he helped my grandmother who almost fell because of the impact of water.

They all went upstairs, and I was left behind as I remembered the lamp and the matches. But by the time I stepped onto our living room the water was already at my chest level. The match, which was in my mouth as I carried the lamp , fell onto the water as I screamed for my brother. All our furniture began to flow towards me, the heavy chairs and desks blocking my way. In that second I thought that it was the end, I thought that I would die.

When my brother peeked from the stairs, I began to swam frantically towards him, giving him my things. Our dog swam beside me, reaching the stairs before I did. I don’t know how I did it, but I stretched my leg and climbed the tenth stair and ran towards the second floor. The wind coming from our room blew as hard as it could as I went towards the girl’s room. It was spacey, and the farthest room in the house. It was also the only room that had minimal water on the floor since water only came from the roof, which was just luckily small drips.

When we got there we were all shaken, and began to pray the rosary. It seemed to calm us, though the wind sounded like a huge car revving up, like vrooooooom. The roaring of the wind began to shake our house like an earthquake, deafening our hearing as our ears seemed to pop like we were inside a pressured airplane. We began to cover the documents with our blankets, insuring that they would be dry. That was when I checked the time: it was only nine in the morning, four hours since I woke up. We tried to eat, but food seemed to lose its taste. When my brother and I checked our window that faced our stairs, the flood reached the third step from the top of the stairs. And outside (we looked through a broken window that faced the west side of the house) the water was taller outside than inside. My brother and I feared that the water would enter the second floor, so we planned to climb our double deck bed in case. We went back to the room to soothe our crying grandmother and sisters.

But do you know the best part? We were soon laughing, joking as if there wasn’t a storm outside. There were moments when we would be quiet, and the wind would take it as a cue to roar again. For two more hours we stayed in that room, praying more, quivering from the storm. And when we got the strength to go downstairs, my heart dropped to my stomach with what I saw.

Our two gates were broken, and the one stuck to cement fell towards the house. Our two big windows were broken, the door still intact but and had a lot of scratches. All of my mother’s big vases were broken, leaving only the little ones. The floor was covered in mud and uncooked riceAll of our pictures were either smudged or covered with mud. . The furniture were all scattered, none of them in their previous places. Shattered glass were everywhere. And when we got to take a look outside, it was worse. Every house was either see through, had no roof, or washed out. The small stores were flooded, and roads were covered with trees.

The storm was gone, but our problems merely started.

———————————————————–
Phew. I tried my best not to cry as I wrote that post. It was simply nerve racking. I will post some pictures of our house on the next blog post. Above you can see a new portion of my blog labeled “The Haiyan Experience” I will post the eight days that I stayed in Tacloban after the storm, before we moved here in Cebu. Please follow my blog if you’d like to read more.

On a lighter note, I was published on the “Thick Jam” website, my story is the first you’d see on the site. If you want to read that story, which was submitted a week before the storm, here’s the site: www.thickjam.com

The morning before the storm

When I woke up this morning, the sky looked like a gray canvas.

Slowly, I could hear the pitter patter of rain pouring down on our roof. The trees were still, but I knew that soon they would be bending. The streets were bare, empty of vehicles except for the man riding a bicycle with a rainbow colored raincoat on. The “calm before the storm” has already passed, the warm night turning into a cold morning. I listened to the radio all night long, and when I woke up they were just announcing that the storm was brewing near.

I checked my siblings, all who were still asleep and oblivious to what was happening. I observed the things around me: the quiet hum of the AC, the jingle of the ceiling fan as it turns, the music coming from the radio. I reminded myself that one the storm hits, all of the electricity would be cut. The candles have been ready for use since last night, the flashlights’ batteries all new. My biggest fear of sleeping in the dark without the street lights on donned on me, but I had to be strong.

Soon the rain poured harder, making me more nervous. My other siblings woke up, also shocked with how the sky looked like. The super typhoon was minutes away from making land fall, hitting our region first. It would be scary to think that the storm was getting stronger as it passed the Pacific. Cars began to rush by, making the water on the pavement swoosh with every tire it comes in contact with.

Around eight, it became eerily silent. It made me doubt that maybe the storm would not pass us. Cars began to fill the roads, the drivers honking loudly, trying to rush on home. It became significantly warmer, although the sky still held its gloomy color. The news still said that the storm was going to hit soon, and classes were suspended for all. The social sites all boomed with worry from people who has loved ones here, and some expressed their fear.

In the end, we could only hope for the best, and expect that things wouldn’t take a turn for the worst. You can never be prepared enough for what is about to happen. And even if I don’t look forward to meeting this storm eye-to-eye, I just hope it passes by quickly without much damage.

Candle lit storm

Everything was set.

The candles were by my side, along with the matches and the flashlights. It was eerily quiet outside, and it didn’t help that I was alone in my apartment. The news informed me that it has entered the country’s area of responsibility minutes ago, and was now moving fast and furiously towards our region.

I expected the lights to go out anytime soon, so I had my emergency lights ready. I was deathly afraid of the dark and thunder, so this would definitely not end well for me. I sat in the middle of my bed, away from mirrors and windows.

“Beth, someone is calling. Beeeeeth. It’s meeeeee.”

The recorded ringtone filled my apartment, and it filled me with irritation. I didn’t spare it a glance, afraid that if I answered my phone it would go empty. I walked towards my curtain covered windows, and saw that there wasn’t a cloud in sight. The stars gleamed as if nothing was about to happen. The only thing I heard was the soft beat of my heart, and the vehicles that passed in front of the building.

“Beth, someone is..”

I turned off my phone immediately, before safely stashing it under my pillow. I began to get paranoid, as I imagined the apartment flooding until the fifth floor. I imagined all my things getting wet, my whole life’s work ruined by it. I turned on the TV to calm my nerves, but I regretted it immediately as a flash report showed.

“A 4:00 PM TODAY, THE EYE OF TYPHOON WITH INTERNATIONAL NAME “HAIYAN” WAS LOCATED BASED ON ALL AVAILABLE DATA AT 1,221 KM EAST OF MINDANO WITH MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS OF 175 KPH AND GUSTINESS OF UP TO 210 KPH. IT IS FORECAST TO MOVE WEST NORTHWEST AT 30 KPH.”

I shivered at the thought of the storm that it was stronger than a bulldozer, and changed the channel. However no matter how I tried, I still wanted to listen more to the news. The skies still hasn’t shown any changes in the weather, and it was the “calm before the storm” phase.

I began to cuddle up in my comforter, trying to rid my mind of fear. A thud from my window made me sit up straight, as I slowly turned towards an intruder. He covered my hand before I had the chance to scream, and I childishly licked it so he would let go.

“Eew! What are you, five?” He asked disgusted. He began to wipe his hand on his pants, his brows scrunched together.

“I’m five and a half actually.” I stuck my tongue out to him, and that was only when I realized that he was soaking wet. “Is it already raining outside?”

He gave me a ‘duh’ look which irritated me, before he finally spoke. “I’ve been calling you for the last thirty minutes so I could get into your apartment before it started raining. But is seems like your phone is turned off.”

I ignored him, looking around the apartment for a shirt he could use. “Here. Take those clothes off and wear some of my big shirts.”

His smile widened and his brows wiggled suggestively, as he took off his shirt. And he actually didn’t look that bad. Okay, maybe he has some kind of a toned stomach that I could only dream of, but he was still annoying. It was then I realized that he has been observing my reaction, and he grinned like a kid. I threw the shirt towards him in embarrassment, and moved to look outside. Surely enough it was raining, but it was only more of a drizzle.

“You can look now.” I turned towards him, and found myself in a pickle. He was a few inches from me, and when I turned around I slammed onto his chest. I felt him chuckle, and I scooted myself towards the right to avoid him.

“Jerk.” I muttered.

“I heard that.”

“You were supposed to.” I smirked at him, before returning to my bed. Soon he sprawled himself on the bed like he owned the place, and I kicked him on the side. But damn, he was really strong and hard as a rock. I groaned, trying to push him off.

“Stop trying princess. This guy is as strong.” He smugly said, showing off his developed biceps It irritated me more that he saw me struggle, so I stopped trying. Soon the rain began to fall harder, and a whip of thunder began to echo in the skies. I instinctively covered my ears, and soon enough the sound went away.

“Awwe. Wittle Beth afwaid of a wittle thunder?” He cooed. It frustrated me more when he saw me vulnerable, but it was too late to go back now. So instead I ignored him, turning around to avoid looking at his arrogant face. I closed my eyes and tried to push myself into sleep, when another roll of thunders began to resound all over the room.

“Jiminy cricket!” I groaned. He began to laugh at me, finding amusement in my choice of words.

“Oh Beth, you’re really something.”

“Oh Bryan, you’re really nothing.”

“Ouch princess. That stung.” He feigned hurt, clutching his ‘sore’ heart. “Is this how you would treat your hero who did everything to come here?”

“Yeah, like you came here for me. I know you have a girlfriend on the second floor. What happened play boy, did she kick you out or something? That’s why you came running to you dear old best friend?” He scoffed at me, so I added. “How many women have you dated in my building?”

He began to say names, mostly apartment numbers, with his fingers. In the end he held up eight with a huge grin. “But I did come here for you, you know. I promised your dad I’d look after you.”

“I don’t need a babysitter.”

Thunder once again boomed, and I found myself crawling towards him. I closed my eyes and hugged him tight until the sound went away. When I opened my eyes, there was no light.

“Bryan, please tell me you just turned off the lights and that there is still electricity.” I prayed that he would say yes, knowing his full craving for pranks, especially when it came to me.

“I-can’t-breathe!” I let go of him immediately, forgetting that I was literally holding on to him for dear life. I gave him a sheepish smile as the color returned to his face. “As you can see, I was struggling to breath as a monkey practically jumped on me, so there’s no way I did that.” I punched him lightly on his shoulder for the “monkey” bit, but soon this playfulness went away when I realized it was really dark.

“Wait! The candles!” I sprung off the bed, immediately lighting the candles that I have set. The room soon was lighted dimly, giving off a warm vibe. The wind outside picked up, almost whistling. I opened the window for a peak, and I saw coconut trees bending as if it was about to break. The storm is here.

“Hey, you okay?” His warm hand made contact with my shoulder that was shaking. “Calm down okay? I’m here for you.” He guided me towards the bed, and he cuddled me into his arms. It was such a familiar feeling, with him always being there when I needed him. The sounds of things hitting on something began to frighten me, as the storm began to become harsher with every dragging minute.

“Bryan, don’t leave me okay?” My heart literally began to beat harder, as I gazed onto his eyes. Under the light of the candles he seemed different, unlike the bad boy I knew him to be. He had soft eyes that were staring at me, that reflected the dancing light. The shadows on his face seemed to gradually morph him into looking like an angel. That was when I realized that I love this guy in front of me, and it was unnerving to think that I have been in love with him for years.

In that moment I forgot about everything else: I forgot about the storm, his long list of exes, and the fact that his pants were still wet from the rain. I was only concentrated on him. Soon his lips turned into a smile, as he kissed my forehead. Before I went to a peaceful sleep, I heard him say something.

“I’d always be here princess.”

——————————-

Not entirely fiction, as the news report above is real. There really IS a super hurricane coming here in the Philippines, and is expected to hit our city TOMORROW since we’re near the Pacific. I’m really scared, mostly because there are rumors that it’s going to be another strong one. I hope everything would be okay.

What did you think of the story though? 🙂

The quake that took

“Kyla! You’re it!”

I taunted, touching the back of my friend. Soon we were all running away from her. I felt the wind on my face as I ran, my friends running with me.

“Lindaaaaa! You’re so unfair! I was eating turon!”

I pointed my tongue out to her, and began to run. I ran as fast as my seven year old legs could. When I saw mother, I hid under her skirt. She began laughing and held my head, hiding me from my friends. She then went inside, bringing my baby sister with her. My friends continued to run around, with Kyla still not tagging anyone else. I hid behind the chair now, as my mother came out of the house. I giggled as Kyla almost touched my other friend, but failed.

“Ha! I can see you Linda!”

Kyla suddenly said. She was about to reach out to me, when everything seemed to shake. I saw the little houses sway before me, and my mother lifted me up, my legs dangling. My heart began to beat super fast as my mom took me to the street, my head getting dizzy because of the moving.

“Stay here okay? I have to get your sister from upstairs.”

Just as my mom turned to leave, the earth shook harder, and a small crack showed on the ground.

“Mooooom.”

I said, my body quaking with the earth. She turned to me, and as she did I saw our house crumble down like stacked leaves. My mother’s face froze, her eyes never leaving mine. When she turned around, she collapsed on the road.

“Mooom! Mom!”

I ran to her like crazy, shaking her body. That was when I heard a small wail from a baby, and I remembered my sister. I quickly ran towards the crumbled house, the earth still shaking from below me. The cries began softer and softer, as if the nearer I got, the fainter her cries. I flipped everything I could get my hands on, the rocks, the wood and everything else. The earth stood still now, but I still felt my legs shake I was aware of my sore foot, as I lost my slippers somewhere in the rubble. I tried to listen for my sister’s cries, but my heart broke when I was met by silence.

“Oli?”

I said, trying to get a reaction from her. The earth shook again, this time softer and shorter. I looked around the Chocolate hills that were not that far away, and I was surprised to see a crack there too. Something so beautiful now had a damage. I pried my attention towards finding my sister, when I felt something soft upon my feet. I looked down, and saw that it was her pillow. I frantically dove into the pile of rocks, looking for my little sister. She had to be here! The tears in my eyes blinded my eyesight, but I still sobbed my way through. Suddenly, my hand felt something. Her hair. My hands immediately went stiff, my eyes wandering through the rubble.

When I saw an open eye looking at me, everything went black.

——————————

The island of Bohol is just a boat ride away from our island, so when the 7.2 quake shook, we felt the house rocking like a chair-rocker. This story is fully fiction, although I could imagine it being more near to the truth as ever. Please pray for those in need, as we are wounded more than ever.

The Lexus and the Olive tree

If you take a look at the Philippines, what do you usually see at first glance? From my perspective, it is a country with people struggling everyday to compete with the international economy. It is a country in the works, continuously striving to be a part of the “big boys” But it is also a place filled with people who are grounded to where they came from, a country with traditions that are older than time itself. We have our beliefs in both our mythology and religion. Here, family is more important than anything. They have strong ties with where they came from, and we use the famous saying of our Philippine hero: “A person who does not know how look back from where he came from, will never get to his destination.” So before everything, let me introduce to you the concept of the Lexus and the Olive tree. As some of you may know, the Lexus is one of the world’s most expensive brand of cars. It is one of the top line cars out there, with its sleek designs and up to date equipment. Now imagine an Olive tree. An Olive tree has its roots firmly held unto the earth. Some of their huge roots can be seen above the soil. The Olive tree has gone through many things, but still firmly holds its ground. For the past semester, my teacher has been teaching us the world of globalization. I have learned that globalization is like tying up the world with one big knot. That knot includes the exchange of information, culture, economics, ideas and etc., between countries around the world. This way, everything is evened out for each country, giving each country the chance to compete against each other. It is like gathering countries together into one big ship, and being able to converse to each other freely. This also could assist businessmen in expanding globally, giving people jobs with each investor that comes in. Globalization also aids political leaders to become aware of what is happening in other countries. It also lends a hand in the advancement of technology, and giving people the information needed about our environment. Through globalization, the world is moving forward in the era of modernization. Our telecommunications has played a great part in tying up the world, making people go to places without leaving the comfort of their own home. Imagine a world without communication technology. A world without the internet, maybe we have a chance to survive. A world without your phone, perhaps. A world without your radio, maybe. A world without TV, maybe. But what about a world without all of these altogether? Before these inventions came to life, each country was blind with what was happening with the other. Products that are for sale would have different prices in different parts of the world, because there is no uniform price for them because of the loss of communication. Politicians would not be as “friendly” to each other, as they have to travel in person to meet one another, which can be tiring. People would not be aware of what is happening across the oceans, whether or not a war is happening or if there is a change of politics. Everyone would be technically blind with the world, and everything we know will shatter. These advancement in these innovations are categorized as the Lexus. For our Olive tree, we can simply describe this with the concept of our native land. These are the values and traditions that hold together a certain society, and has been a guide to how one must live. The Olive tree is just as important as the Lexus, because with the Olive tree is a world filled with history, lessons from mistakes and etc. With these in mind, where does it leave my country? We come from a strong Olive tree, rooted to the the land for thousands of years. Even with the colonization of different countries, we still have our values and traditions that keep us together. However with the fast paced world, we now constantly sacrifice our Olive tree in order to move ahead with the rest of the globe. We are struggling to find a balance between the two, barely holding on to the other. We compromise one so the other could succeed, and usually we are slowly uprooting our Olive tree to be able to drive our Lexus. In the end, it would really depend on the people within our country. Neither the historians nor the businessmen can dictate which would prevail in the end.

I believe however, that the Filipinos know better than to let go of the Olive tree. Because no matter how much we try to attach ourselves to the modern world, we would still be yearning for the simple life that we have grown accustomed to. No matter how many times we eat at Mcdonalds, we would still yearn for that home cooked meal from our mothers. No matter how far we are from our country we would still strive to keep to our values and the things taught to us by our elders.
But even with all of this, it’s still a world with opportunities that could be lost in a snap of a finger, and everyone is on their heels trying to even get a whiff of the opportunity. The Lexus is still trying to pierce through the Olive tree, almost crashing itself to it. We will only be the ones to blame if we allow the fall of our Olive tree. What others may not realize, is that we do not have to sacrifice one with the other. But that’s a real struggle isn’t it? You have to learn how to move fast, without really leaving where you came from.

And with the world as it is, will we actually find our balance between the Lexus and our Olive tree?

How about your country? Do you think you have found the balance with the two?

On being a godmother

In the Philippines, it is well known that religion is important to us. And every religion has baptism, and earlier today I got to be one of the godmothers for a family friend. It was honestly my first time to become a godmother, but since I saw the little angel, I couldn’t say no!

World, meet Maria Divina Lacambra

Minutes before the mass started, I began taking pictures of her, the parents and the other godparents.

With her parents and godparents

During the mass, I couldn’t help but steal glances at the little girl. She’s only four months old yet she’s ready to empower the world with her cuteness! When the ceremony started, the little girl was asleep! Here she was, about to be welcomed into the Christian world and she was sleeping. How cute.

She was then baptized by water, and she merely stirred in her sleep as the water was poured on her head.

When the ceremony was done, she was became a Christian! (insert loud applause here) We then proceeded to their house, where they prepared a little feast in celebration of the new addition to the religion.

This picture took me a long time to take because she’s so moody! Good thing I captured this smile.

I think that being a godmother means that you have to be a good influence, and I take full responsibility on that. I just hope I fit the role! I’m still seventeen afterall. By the time she’s ten, i’d be twenty seven! We’d be like sisters 😀

She’s a bit grumpy here, getting tired of being passed from one person to the other!

Being the photographer for the day, I was rarely in the pictures! So I stealthily took a selfie. (Insert evil laugh here)

Piggie vs the wolf

Obesity has really reached its limit, and has blown up everywhere. But we all know we’re not talking about body fat here. The Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), otherwise known as “Pork Barrel” which was supposedly for the projects for the benefit of the taxpayers, has drastically blown up from the pockets of politicians. And the aftermath is disastrous. I don’t need to elaborate on how PDAF was started, or what has happened that caused so much alarm because you have the liberty of reading it in the newspapers and other websites.

I am writing however, to those who have the ability to make a change but are too lazy to do so. I am writing to those who act enraged, and yet they quiver at the thought of doing something. To my fellow Filipinos, today, August 26, is a day that we have allocated to show how much we are insulted by the acts of the people we voted for. Your voice is as important as any others. I say to you, stand up. These people whom we trusted to lead our country have pocketed so much that it has blown up in their faces. They have given us the choice to hate them for taking something that wasn’t for their benefit. For years they have blinded us, for years they have been telling lies. And now that we finally have the hard evidence that would suffice our thirst for justice, let us act on it.

My fellow Filipinos, young and old, we are the wolf. We are stronger than them. They are the worthless pigs who greedily take what they can get from those who they thought could not think for themselves. Let us prove them wrong. Today, the victims become the predator, moving to catch the prey. We shall huff and puff until they blow away. In this story, we shall get a just ending. We will drive this piggies into the hell hole where they deserve to be. They need to know that we are not okay with what they have done, that we are not helpless.

Make a stand! Take your part in the million march to dispose of something that was abused by those pigs! Make them feel the rage! Scrap pork barrel!

For those who could not make it to the rally, make your waves through social media. Make this you profile picture for today.

The SONA and the youth

“The youth are the future of our nation”

-Jose Rizal, Philippine National Hero

Last July 22, Benigno Aquino III, the president of the Philippines delivered his State of the Nation Address. A lot of people stopped what they were doing as the president reviewed the things that have happened throughout the year. Some people have rallied outside the gates where the president spoke to the congress and to the people of the Philippines.

A day after, people usually start to give their assessment of the latest SONA. In the case of the University of the Philippines Visayas Tacloban College, we held an open forum on the subject. Through the work of both the Student Council and Pulso, they invited eligible speakers to critique what the president presented to the people. They called it “Kapehan sa UP” and to what most students would dub as boring, I would call it eye opening. The forum taught me a lot, showing the things people usually overlook. Kudos to the UPVTC Student Government and to Pulso for giving the youth the right to know about the things happening around them. It was an intriguing afternoon for all.

Let me give you a bit of my background. I grew up going to a Catholic school. I was sheltered and left oblivious to all the things that were happening around the nation. We weren’t really cajoled to watch the news, and we groaned whenever our parents changed the channel when we were watching cartoons.

Even as I was in high school, the things happening around me was somehow kept. We only knew about things when our parents or teachers would tell us about it. That was the sad truth of my early teens. We were told what to believe, like for example we had to be against the RH Law because the church said so. We weren’t really given the freedom of speech. But that all changed when I went to college.

In my first two years, my mind was given the training I lacked all those years. I began to think critically, and I began to actually enjoy watching the news. I began expressing myself, which is how I found myself writing on a blog for everyone to read. As I am now on my third year, I felt the urgency to fight for something I believe in. I am more aware of the things happening around me.

We, the youth were once called the future of the country. That is why a lot of people have corrupted the minds of the youth, blurring the lines between right and wrong. With Facebook and other social media mediums, the youth can freely express themselves easily. And even when the SONA was going on, the youth flooded the Facebook community with reactions to the president’s words. But what was unexpected was what the president said towards the end of his speech:

“Sa bawat estudyanteng mulat sa mga napapanahong isyu sa lipunan, at sa halip na magreklamo lang sa Facebook ay nagmumungkahi ng solusyon: SONA mo ito.”

(To all students who are aware about the things happening in the society and are posting it on Facebook to find a solution, this is your SONA)

I said,”WHAT?!” Why were the youth suddenly mentioned when during his whole 2-hour speech it seemed like he was avoiding the topic of the youth like a plague? If anyone could recall he didn’t last 10 minutes on his topic on education. When his speech was transcribed the speech on education, it was just 3 paragraphs long! He didn’t even discuss what he has solved over the mountains of problems that the Philippine education is facing. That was why it was such a surprise that he even mentioned the youth at all!

It was such an infuriating thought that I shared it to my fellow UPians during the said event. All of the speakers agreed with me, one even saying that the government seem to have no care for what the youth thinks about. And that is a fact that has been proven from one president to the other. The problem with diplomats and doctorates is that some think that they are better than students. That we are just hormonal human beings who have no right to speak up. Well they are WRONG! The youth has the power to change a whole nation!

Every strong leader started as a student. Every powerful mind started as some kid who went to school. So why are we marginalized as a community who have no opinion in the matter? In any matter I may add. The president even didn’t consult the youth about the K-12 project and even when the cyber bullying law was passed! They just think that they know better than us. That was when I found what I wanted to fight for: giving the youth the chance to be heard.

We have a voice .Though small and sometimes unheard, it is powerful when uttered as one by many. So as arrogant as our government may be, we the youth should voice out. We have been taught to know what is wrong and what is right. I encourage my fellow youth to stand up and stop being mindless dwellers in this country! Do not follow what is usual; create something different for our future! The Internet can be easily accessed and you could easily express yourself. Open your eyes fellow youth! It’s our time to show everyone we can do something for this country!