ENRAGED!: It’s not just Typhoon Ulysses
To give a bit of context, Typhoon Ulysses has said to become the deadliest tropical cyclone to hit the country last November 11–12 — which is stronger than the previous Typhoon, named Rolly, that struck the country just a couple of days before. It was said that:
Although I live in Manila, I still felt the impact of this deadly typhoon. I remember that late afternoon when Ulysses just had entered the country. There wasn’t much rain during that time but the wind was raging so bad that I could see the motorcycle drivers trying to slow down and take shelter. I could vividly remember their faces as they wrestle with the wind and try not to fall along the road. Their faces were filled with anxiety and fear especially grab and other delivery drivers who are delivering food or parcels to their customers that are also taking shelter, preparing for the worst of the upcoming night. It became a dangerous night knowing the great possibility of trees to fall off and create an accident.
I was naive to think that the storm will only last a night and would just be like Typhoon Rolly, but I underestimated the damage that Ulysses could create. During the same night, 11AM, I was already hearing the wind howl from our windows and the roof tops banging as the wind and rain collides onto it. I was a very scary night since my family and I weren’t sure about how things would go — if it will flood in our house or will damage our home. There was uncertainty. However, I did what I could to be prepared and charge all my devices in case of a power outbreak and prayed before sleeping.
What shocked me the most was the day after. Posts and shares about people already on their rooftops were circulating via social media sites, and people were distressed, looking for help due to the great floods especially in the low lying areas of Marikina, Isabela and Rizal.
“That water level is higher than the 21.5–meter level Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro said it reached during Tropical Storm Ondoy in 2009 as many houses are now submerged and some people have scampered up the roofs of their houses as flooding continues.”
Many concerned netizens like me were constantly reposting and spreading the information about these people in dire help but what’s more alarming is the inability of the government to act quickly. Therefore, the citizens themselves were the ones who did the necessary actions and reach help in anyway they can. For those who were still stranded, reposting was the least thing they could do to spread awareness about these people in help. For others, they’ve built different charity works.
Despite the citizens providing support for their fellow citizens, it still made many people furious about the government which led schools such as Ateneo, to start to petition a student strike against the Government.
Being an Atenean that incorporates the value of being men for others, this petition sounded very appealing to me when I first heard of it. I didn’t really mind push through and moving the academic schedule for the benefit of those who are willing to help or are victims of this natural disaster. However, when the final petition was established, it made me question its demands. The big question would be “How would an academic freeze affect the government in anyway?”
This had made me realize that the comment made by Harry Roque, “Babagsak po kayo”, may actually be true. The reason that Harry Roque is unfazed by this petition is that this strike may not directly affect the government in the way they function. It will still be the same, and many Ateneans, including myself, were able to point this out when they saw the demands of the petition of having a student strike. Thus, many have argued that the extension of the academic calendar has already become enough so that students and teachers would be able to volunteer their assistance and those affected may somewhat be given considerable time to recover from the damages.
Another question that went to my mind was “What could be the next step to address what the government, specifically the national government, were unable to do?” Currently, I could still see voluntary works and charity from our fellow citizens. I for one could at least help by encouraging other to help as well and spread awareness to people who can provide help. Sadly, there is a lack of direction.
The future of the country is still questionable for me because of the incapability of the current administration to effectively lead, however, I believe that through this dilemma, there will be future leaders. There will be innovators. There will be people would struggle with uncertainty to prepare for the future problems that are much worse than what we have experienced. As a Filipino citizen, I don’t think that resiliency will be enough for our country to survive because resiliency had cost many lives. As a student, I believe that we will need to innovate and adapt more ideas to help improve our country’s system. I may not be directly part of the government, but I am a future leader that will eventually lead many with the aim for a better nation.
