I avoided writing about this topic for a few days. But I finally caved in and did anyway.
Ever since last Thursday, everything I saw and heard in the news or from countless social media sites are about Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) that struck the Philippines.
I can’t go three minutes online without finding out the recent rise in the number of deaths in the country. I can’t watch the news without seeing somebody crying, stealing, or worse, dead. Every facebook post is about the families that lost their homes, places that were destroyed, or communities that are now suffering because they haven’t eaten in days.
No, I am not being ignorant or apathetic about the calamity. It’s just that, I’m a Filipino, and hearing and seeing all these devastating things that are happening to my fellow Filipinos around me is simply just too heartbreaking.
The country hasn’t even risen from the recent earthquake disaster, and now we have this?
In times like these, people are quick to be filled with rage, and judgement; and usually, they wouldn’t know where to direct those feelings, so they tend to blow up on everything. They hate the government for being unreliable, they blame their religion for what is happening, they even start believing in the apocalypse.
I wish the news don’t show just the half of what’s happening around the country. It’s painful enough to watch all of the negative things happening around us being sensationalized and focused on. Why don’t they show the family members that finally saw each other? Or the volunteers that are willing to do anything for strangers? We badly need positive news to lift our spirits.
It’s too tiring to feel angry. It’s time to finally start working. Complaining about what’s happening won’t help them, doing something will.
And I’m proud to say that today, I did do something.
(Going out of my Tuesday Cooking schedule because I want to blog about this.)
After class today I joined another Relief Operation for Yolanda Victims with Operation Walang Iwanan by GK Team Negros Occidental.
Despite the miserable things that are happening in our country, it was great to see a diversity of volunteers from different rivaling schools today gather and work together for a common cause. Most of these volunteers are the youth who didn’t come for attendance or because of a grade requirement, but because they just wanted to help.
Today we were able to pack 1,206 relief packets to be sent to some parts of Northern Negros Occidental and Bantayan.
I know most of the people are donating to Tacloban because it had the most casualties, but let’s not also forget the places like Ormoc, Coron, and Sagay who suffered almost the same fate, but didn’t get as much media coverage.
There is too much sadness in the Philippines today and I want to make it my life mission (for the time being) to spread positivity and share any type of light-hearted news or stories about the typhoon that would lift up the spirits of every Filipino.
These stories made me smile today:
Two L.A. Girls sell lemonade for typhoon victims
Japan returns favor to Philippines
If you have any positive news you’d like to share, please do.
xx
Gizel
Related articles
- Stay Strong Philippines (myendlessrantsandramblings.wordpress.com)
- Typhoon Haiyan: Filipinos use social media to ensure no victim goes unaided (worldnews.nbcnews.com)
- Businesses For #YolandaPH Relief (homegrownph.wordpress.com)
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