paradise lost
we were outside of the then sparklingly new robinson's shopping mall waiting for a taxi, when out of the blue (maybe i was concerned that we ran out of things to talk about; or i am just like everyone else, uncomfortable of the long silences between conversations), i asked my sister why she loves living in this coastal city of tacloban, where she spent more than half of her life. she studied and graduated at the university of the philippines - visayas. when she got married, she and her husband decided to live there to raise a family.
in contrast, i have always been a big city person. i love getting lost and dizzy in the labyrinthian but chaotic streets of a metropolis, as well as in maze-like giant shopping malls, in unfamiliar places inhabited by people speaking in strange tongues, in walking or traveling on well-groomed and seemingly endless roads, and in being dazzled by city creatures in their fineries with some looking straight out of a fashion magazine no matter what the time of the day or the season of the year.
being in a crowded albeit cosmopolitan city always brings out the little alice in me, the wandering and curious princess in the wonderland who meets different kinds of amazing, tantalizing and unique creatures from the other world and beyond. or the perennial boy who's stuck in never land his whole life, never wanting to grow up nor to leave.
to think that between us, i was the one who stayed at our old house in the province for a long time until i decided to go to manille for an adventure.
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"it's like being in paradise here," was all she said, as the taxi that we hailed earlier stopped in front of us. amused, i climbed the cab after her and quietly contemplated on what she had just said. it would take us about fifteen minutes to reach her house at the outskirts of tacloban city.
it was so like her to give a simple, direct, uncomplicated answer to a seemingly complex question.
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indeed, as i gave it a thought, living in tacloban is paradise. it's simple, quiet, pollution-free, less crowded just like any quaint town in the country. fine beaches are merely a ten minute ride away. the furthest one an hour. food items -- rice, seafood, vegeable, meat, fruits -- are fresh and affordable. the people are generally nice, even shy, and still familiar. the small town vibe and the convivial spirit remain visible even if signs of modernity is slowly invading its surroundings.
the place is generally safer, with less crimes and misdemeanors, compared to say manille or even its neighboring cebu city.
yet, modern living is creeping up gently. there is a moderately-sized shopping mall (robinson's) where the latest fashion items from manille are sold, where the latest movies even from hollywood are shown, where there are coffee shops and fast food chains that are slowly hooking its inhabitants. almost everyone has cable teevee, owns the latest cellphone models and other gadgets, and has access to the internet.
but if you truly miss the deafening noise and the pollution of the megacity, manille is one hour away by plane, while cebu is six hours away by land and then sea. about half an hour by air.
not bad right?
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my sister, her husband and three kids are happy. contented. thriving. something that i could not say about most city dwellers, particularly in manille. their needs are simple, basic, and the kids don't have the trappings of some big city brats -- their annoying endless desire to acquire the trendiest clothes and shoes, the newest gadgets available in the market, the sense of entitlement. my nephews and niece remain nice, easily contented for whatever they have, always grateful, and more importantly, respectful.
they play on the streets or parks or beaches with other kids, sleep at around ten or even earlier at night (except on some occasions like christmas or new year), study hard, go to church on sundays. they're not also enamored with their cellphones unlike most kids in manille.
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every time i was on vacation and stayed at their simple bungalow house, it always warmed my heart to see the kids doing household chores like washing the dishes, cleaning up the table after every meal, sweeping the floor, even doing some gardening, something that i think they got from their grandmother, who cannot live without her orchids.
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so yes, i agreed with my younger sister.
living in tacloban is like being in paradise.
that's why it hurts so much to see the devastation that the super typhoon yolanda had caused less than a day after it landed in the city, surrounded by seas. it made me cry after reading the news that scores of people died, that homes were destroyed, properties were lost, and that those who survived were hungry, thirsty, sleepless, deprived of any help from the government.
even the nearby basey samar, where my sister has another house and where we sometimes go beaching during the summer, was flattened, nearly gone. washed out.
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but what made it worse was that some resorted to looting just to survive. what was heartbreaking was to see some of them stealing, ransacking and destroying automated teller machines for money, and even holding up trucks carrying relief goods for the victims.
anarchy is the rule of the day. to each his own. survival of the fittest. the beast is king.
instead of bringing out the best in us, the tragedy had brought out the animals in some of us.
what was pitiful and even maddening was the absence of the town's and the province's officials (congressman, mayor, vice mayor, councilors) to help console and comfort the victims, offer words of encouragement, assure the orderly distribution of relief goods and medicines, and prevent all those criminal acts from happening.
i don't want to judge. i don't want to play the blame game.
however.
the even bigger tragedy is that the looting continued to take place even when the president was already in the city to, supposedly, provide comfort, security and restore order. instead, he threw a fit and walked out in the middle of a press conference. talk about grace under pressure. surely, the president can learn a thing or two from our successful ms. universe and ms. world contestants. megan young, are you listening?
what's happening, indeed?
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yes it's not helpful to be pointing fingers and passing the blame. but.
days prior to the scheduled landfall of the super typhoon, the government was confident everything was under control. equipment, boats and helicopters to rescue the victims, deliver aid, among others, were on standby. the officials were all ready for any eventuality.
the president even boasted (maybe it's a very strong word. ok announced proudly) that their aim is "zero casualty." a very comforting assurance.
three days after the tragedy, more than 10,000 had been reported to have died. people remained hungry, thirsty, hopeless. cold. isolated. sick. living with the dead. scraping. surviving amid the dark, blight, starless nights. communication remained difficult. there was no electricity, even an emergency one.
what's going on?
who's in charge?
what happened to the "zero casualty" headlines? was it all a boast to prop up sagging approval ratings?!
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of course there are small miracles. things that we are thankful.
the town of catbalogan, where i was born and raised, was spared. though our house, i gathered, was damaged. but what's important is that my family is safe.
another thing to be grateful for is the gift of faith. while things and people had perished, lost, gone, i found the believer, the faithful in me. days before the typhoon hammered the visayas, i found myself in church, praying, something i have not done in so many years. when my sister who lives abroad, a nephew who is in davao, and another nephew in cebu, asked me of any news from home on friday and saturday (a day after the typhoon struck), when all communication lines were down, all i could tell them was "just pray."
indeed, in the midst of an unimaginable catastrophe, a seemingly insurmountable enemy, we all need someone or something bigger than us.
days after the typhoon, i am still a bag of anxiety. still sleepless, unable to eat.
still mourning the loss of my sister's paradise.
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having said that, i continue to pray for those whose love ones perished in the tragedy. those who continue to wait for any news from their families. i hope everything turns out alright for all of us.
it will.
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