Knocking

We’ve been experiencing weather extremes lately. Last summer (March to May), Manila registered record high temperature, the hottest in recent years. Hence, it was declared as a heat island. Nobody wanted to go to our capital city then. And now, we’re experiencing excessive rainfall. In 2009, we experienced super typhoon Ondoy. That was the time when the rest of Metro Manila was submerged in water. That was the same time when our world class expressways and vast ricefields all of a sudden seemed like endless seas.

Manila is on the world news again. Well, that’s the trend whenever we are on international news. It’s either there’s bombing and/or kidnapping in Mindanao in Southern Philippines or when there are calamities. The country mourns for a couple of deaths noted in 3 days of non stop rain in Manila and in surrounding provinces. People crying desperately for help—we hear their voices once again. We also see bashing, mudslinging, blaming left and right—but this is not the time for that. This is the time to be united. To help. Our people need lots of it. 

It’s probably the Filipino spirit that despite the rising waters we still manage to smile, crack jokes, sing songs, make jingles out of our rather desperate situation. Filipinos are like that. Faith must have something to do with it. We are strong. We are among the happiest peoples of the world. We will survive. This, too, shall pass.

I do it usually for others, so I won’t hesitate to do it again now. I am knocking on your doors for some help for the flood victims in the Philippines. They need you. I saw thousands of pleas for food and clothing. Our people also need medicines just in case there would be disease outbreak because of floods.

Here are some organisations doing relief operations that have good networks across the country:

ABS-CBN Sagip Kapamilya Foundation
http://www.sagipkapamilya.com/

GMA Kapuso Foundation
http://www.gmanetwork.com/kapusofoundation/

Philippine Red Cross
http://www.redcross.org.ph/

Thank you.