Haribon Republik

A few weeks ago a typhoon named Ondoy hit the Philippines and literally flooded the entire country. News feeds from Twitter kept me updated as I read about the devastation and rising death tolls. Not all news that came from this natural disaster was negative though. Some were quite inspiring as I read of heroic acts, close calls, and most importantly, an entire nation coming together and helping one another. From normal, everyday citizens to celebrities, it seemed every individual was contributing either donations or themselves, handing out food, clothing, and cleaning up the mess that Ondoy left behind. It was so inspiring to read these tweets and to know that in times of devastation an entire nation could rise together and bring hope to the hopeless.

Typhoon Ondoy actually hit the Philippines one week before I was to fly there. I was flooded with emotions (no pun intended. Well, maybe) of fear and motivation. I was determined to do my part to lend a hand to my fellow Filipinos. Every tweet I read fueled an urgency to contribute myself.

The day I arrived, two more typhoons hit the Philippines that week. I feared seeing the worst. It was 4 am and it was still raining. I couldn’t really see much as it was dark and the city was not very well lit. I waited in anticipation for the sun to rise to assess how much work had to be done. To my immense surprise, Manila looked normal. There was no visible damage. People were up early and driving to work. People were walking the streets as if everything was normal. And it was. So many people took immediate action that within a week they had brought back the beauty and daily routines of their lives. I was floored and amazed (When hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans it took a very long time to get things back to normal).

I got in touch with a few friends to find out what I could do to help. Nothing. Almost everything had been taken cared of. Aside from food, clothing, and money donations the Philippines was up and running. In fact, in my 10 days in the Philippines, the sun was shining and the skies were practically clear. I’ve never seen it like that before in all my trips to Manila.

Driving through the city streets I felt a sense of enormous pride. Inspiration grew even more. How could a nation known as 3rd world recover so quickly? Simple. They acted as one. They were selfless. They rose to the challenge and conquered one of the worst natural disasters in 4 decades. The Black Eyed Peas wrote a song a few years back asking, “Where is the love?”… My answer: It’s in the Philippines. To all who donated their time, money, blood, sweat, and heart. To the courageous heroes who died saving complete strangers. To my brothers and sisters and to a country of true warriors, I bow deeply to you all. Thank you.