Let’s all lend a helping hand

Sometimes it seems as if the hits just keep on coming. We already had one super typhoon this year when Maring hit last August, submerging the city once again in floodwaters and sending many into evacuee centers until the waters receded. Usually, at least from past experience, one natural disaster a year is quite common for the Philippines. It’s sad, but it’s unfortunately true. If not rain, then landslides, or another force of nature hits our country and sends our citizens into chaos while we try to rebuild once again.

In recent years though, the disasters just seem to keep on coming and it seems to happen at an increased speed with less and less time in between to regain our footing. Some say it is the response of an angry planet, which we have polluted so much that it had no choice but to fight back. I see the evidence in that. It just seems that factors like over population, too much use of too little resources, pollution, and garbage have been messing with the natural world. We can’t help but be surprised when nature gets thrown all out of whack.

This year, despite already having been struck by Maring, nature was not done yet. On October 15, a deadly 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Central Visayas centered in Bohol and Cebu killing over 185 people to date and causing unspeakable damage. Such a tragedy has not been felt in the country due to an earthquake in recent history and the October earthquakes are already being touted as the deadliest earthquake in the Philippines in recent times. And then, if that was not enough, aftershocks continued to hit the same towns for several days after.

It is heartbreaking to see the devastation left in the wake of the disaster. Centuries old churches reduced to rubble and houses, business centers, and more all in a pile of cement and rocks. The beautiful cities in Bohol and Cebu were left completely blindsided by the tragedy and have yet to get back on their feet again. I can’t even imagine the fear that must come when something like this happens. Families are forced into evacuation centers wondering if their lives will ever go back to normal and pondering how they are going to survive.

Words can’t even describe the tragedy. Photos have proliferated all over the Internet showing just how bad the situation truly is. Makeshift tents are set up for shelter and hospitals are treating patients wherever they can considering that they were also badly struck during the quake. Children with fear in their eyes seek solace in their parents’ arms not knowing their mothers and fathers are just as scared as they are. It’s truly a tragedy, and it is far from over. Aftershocks continue to rock the area and though they are weak compared to the initial quake, they scare the townsfolk to the core because of what has already happened. And sometimes the aftershocks cause even more damage because structures that were hit can no longer withstand any further shakes.

Towns in Bohol have become ghost towns since the quake leaving residents unsure of their future. News has spread that some people get but a tablespoon of water as their rations while waiting for help to come in and for a plan to be put in place to restore infrastructure and basically restore life to their cities.

I have heard it is the worst thing that many of the residents have ever seen in their lifetimes. From perfectly fine weather to a city in ruins. It all happened in the blink of an eye. Which brings me to the present. Our brothers and sisters in Bohol and Cebu need help. And this has to be help on a large-scale magnitude. Everyone has to do his or her share if we are ever to get past this tragedy. The towns of Loon and Maribojoc are the worst hit areas and still remain isolated with boats being the only means of getting relief goods in.

Major companies who have the means and resources to send help have already begun to step up to the plate alongside relief organizations like the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), The Philippine Air Force, Gawad Kalinga, and Red Cross. Companies under businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan have mobilized to lend aid where they can. Through their Alagang Kapatid Foundation they are providing meals to over 1000 evacuees in the Carlos P. Garcia Sports Complex in Tagbilaran, Bohol. They are extending their reach to other cities in Bohol by the transport of hygiene products and relief goods to other calamity stricken towns. In tandem, the PLDT Smart Foundation shipped 2,000 eco-friendly bags to Cebu filled with essentials such as rice, canned goods, noodles, and more.

And other companies are following suit. Maynilad has sent potable water to areas hit by the earthquake. They’ve sent water to over 900 families to date and are preparing to send over 2,500 more. In times of calamity such as these, water is perhaps one of the most important relief goods needed because people get dehydrated quickly and need clean water to survive.

Smart Communications is providing tent shelters and ensuring communications are on-going in disaster stricken areas so that relief efforts may continue to be mobilized through the Internet and mobile phones. They are providing load provisions, libreng tawag stations, and Internet connectivity where they can to give victims a means of communication. In line with this, One Meralco Foundation is doing their best to ensure that electricity is restored to affected areas working with local electrical cooperatives to restore power as quickly as possible.

The Philex Rescue Team, along with the MMDA and other search and rescue groups, has deployed their experts to disaster stricken areas for any required search and retrieval operations. There are still citizens unaccounted for, and dangerous rubble and collapsed structures to investigate for any possible survivors.

And it’s not only the big companies and government organizations that can help. Private citizens can also do their part in helping as well. If you want to help just check the Internet for the nearest relief operation to you and give what you can. Don’t be daunted if it does not seem like much because every little bit helps. Cash may be the easiest to give and can fund operations on site without having to ship goods over, but if you want to give goods as well be sure to give goods that are useable in times of tragedy such as instant noodles, potable water, biscuits, and other food goods like rice, sugar, or flip top canned goods. You can also donate clothes, blankets, mosquito nets, medicines, and slippers. All of these items will go a long way in helping those traumatized by this natural disaster.

It’s going to be a very long road to recovery. And the citizens of the ravaged towns will surely never be the same ever again. But, as we have done in the past, I believe we can rise above the tragedy if all we do our part. We have to help each other get back up again.