Ode (and warning) to the ever happy Pinoy

Ever wondered why our Tourism slogan “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” has caught on quickly with domestic as well as foreign tourists? Easy. It is because it is so true. The Filipino, come rain or flood, sickness or death has never lost his sense of humor. We are said to be the happiest people on the planet!

With this column is a collection of some pictures we have seen on television, the print medium, on the Internet, on posters that have been put together in this season of typhoons and floods as a tribute to the indomitable spirit of the happy Pinoy.      

The grief-stricken picture of a US state wake contrasts greatly with that of the Filipino family smiling for the camera at a relative’s wake. They are both observing a passing but in different ways.

During the typhoon season starting in June at an average of 26 in a year, we may expect 15 more typhoons. The difference is that starting last month, the National Capital Region was affected as it had never been before.

Flooding covered 80 percent of Manila. Some neck-deep in water, while 411,000 were crammed into gymnasiums, schools and government evacuation centers, with at least 92 lives claimed, and 3.4 million people affected. Manila, a megacity of about 15 million, endured two weeks of relentless monsoon rains, its worst flooding since 2009, while farmers in the north said they had not experienced waters reaching such levels for decades. Dams have been overflowing, and Manila is expected to suffer more heavy downpour.

On the outskirts in Malabon and Valenzuela, flood survivors queued alongside hundreds for Red Cross relief goods. “Many have returned to their homes to rebuild, but may have to leave again if there are more floods,” said Roderick Tongol, head of Malabon’s disaster response unit. The government has admitted being overwhelmed by the scale of the relief effort needed.

But Environment Sec. Ramon Paje said that much more intense rains, such as those experienced recently, should be considered the “new normal” as part of climate change.

In view of these, what choice do the Pinoys have? Nothing much really but pray and have fun.

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