Yolanda: A call for service

Isn’t it strange that Yolanda has brought out the best and worst from us Pinoys? The response of the country and the world has been amazing. But what does that mean for us? All of us can help out in our own little way, can’t we?

First, we all have to make that paradigm shift and be moved to help. If all the news, pictures and reports about the earthquake and Yolanda haven’t moved us, I don’t know what else can. What concrete things to do? We must pray for all victims of Yolanda and Linog 7.2. We pray for the eternal repose of all those who perished, and we pray for the recovery and well-being of all those who are with us today. When you attend Mass today, think about them. From the physical side, helping doesn’t mean having to go all the way to the areas to deliver the goods. We can help by donating/sharing cash and the much needed relief items. We can give the victims food like noodles, canned goods, biscuits, bread and rice. Water and medicine are also needed. We can choose which organization we can give our donations. After sharing, we can then assist in the packing of these relief goods. There are many relief centers around Metro Cebu and they’re all busy with volunteers re-packing relief teams to be distributed ASAP. The distribution of relief goods has gone full throttle this past week that it’s now a common sight to see trucks going north, loaded with your help. Other trips are also being made to East Visayas and Bohol (let’s not forget Linog 7.2).

On a bigger scale, there’s a grave need to bring back power, water and communication. The good news is that Smart/Sun and Globe have already restored part of their cell sites that went down. It’s not yet 100% back up, but this has already helped a lot. Victims have now been able to contact their relatives in the different parts of the country and the world. The great help has been the free text and calls programs of the different Telco’s both here and abroad. The roads also need to be cleared up so that travel can be easier. While initial reports indicate that all major roads have now been cleared, there are other places that still can’t be reached. This becomes an instant lesson in geography especially when we look at the bigger East Visayas which isn’t only about Tacloban.

The other “side” of things is the need to maintain peace and order amidst all the reported lootings and presence of armed men. But the even tougher next step(s) is the recovery program for all victims. Houses need to be rebuilt. Shelter has to be provided. Each local economy has to be revived. Every person has to be given the opportunity to earn a living and start all over again. Let’s all remember that we are also needed to help out in this phase. Our help shouldn’t start and end with our initial donation. Let’s join all victims in their progress back to recovery by walking right beside them.

 And then there’s all the negativity that is so untimely and divisive. This is a time to be united and committed. There are people without food, water, medicine and shelter. And here we are fighting among ourselves? If we don’t like what someone is doing (or not doing), let’s stop complaining and just do our part. All this negative talk isn’t helping the earthquake victims one bit. They can’t afford to even think about all this petty fighting among those who want to help. Are we truly there for the victims or just for ourselves?

 For us, another way we can help is with the way we go about our lives as we empathize with all victims. A daily routine of moderation may be the call for the day. This early, Christmas parties are now being re-programmed, downsized or being totally canceled and converted to drives for relief operations. Christmas vacations are also being either canceled/converted to donations or modified. For those of us in the sports world, games have been reset and opening ceremonies have been toned down. The Milo Little Olympics National Finals which Cebu is hosting was postponed to November 29-December 1. At today’s opening day of the PBA’s 2014 season, the usual lavish opening ceremonies are gone. For the 16th Aboitiz Football Cup, both the Cebu Football Association and Aboitiz Foundation are working on a simple soft opening of letting the games start without the usual fanfare. At the end of the day, it just doesn’t seem right that we’ll be in a “celebratory” mode while our brothers and sisters are out there suffering.

 But don’t get me wrong. Life must move on and we should go about our daily lives. In fact, all this ought to give us a different perspective on life over-all. Let’s be one, strong, united, in being of service for others.

***

Time-out: Happy birthday to my mother Lola Pressy and Katie Navarro Christensen. >>> We ask all to pray for the eternal repose of Ana Aleth Francisco. >>> You can reach me at [email protected].