Thursday, May 15, 2008 Limlingan: Resiliency By DP Limlingan The Advocate
LAST week while I was killing time at one of the giant malls in the province, I bumped at my boss, Mr. Jun Malig, our Ed-in-Chief and briefly talked about the crisis being felt by people mostly from all walks. We shared the same sentiments for the past few weeks not because we are both short of finances but because of our mutual awareness of the prevailing economic situation in the land.
The rising prices of almost everything were our agenda in that short session at the mall. By the way, we were there not to shop ‘til we drop but rather spent some leisure time and did some walking exercises under the convenience of free air conditioned atmosphere as the sweltering heat outside dries out everyone’s throats.
The last time I wrote about the economic predicament suffered by almost all Filipinos, prices of gasoline is not yet rounded-off to a fifty-pesos-per-liter. Today, it even exceeded that mark. Prices of other petroleum-based products similarly increased. What is noteworthy is the narrowing gap of the price between gasoline and diesel fuel. Public utility vehicles and electric power generating facilities use diesel. That means, the price of public transportation and electricity cost would likely increase also. Add to that is the domino effect to other commodities should the price of these last two basic needs would rise.
My reason for hope is the resiliency of Filipinos. It is the silver lining behind the clouds that may yet brighten the future of our benighted economy.
Filipinos, survive no matter what. We are resilient. We fight.
Two giant malls in the heart of the province never decrease its population. While it’s still summer, resorts and other leisure hubs remain full even during weekdays. Drinking joints still abound the after light.
Unbelievably-priced colorful rubber sandals called flip-flops still walk our streets. Multi-media mobile phones still a fad. People still buy brand new cars. My boss still drives his car daily negotiating NLEX and overcoming the burden of filling-up gas and paying the tolls.
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Burma, now Myanmar was devastated on May 2 and 3 by Cyclone Nargis leaving about 62,000 people dead or missing according to their government count. The United Nations has suggested the death toll is likely to be more than 100,000.
With their homes washed away and large tracts of land under water, about two million survivors, mostly poor rice farmers, are living in abject misery, facing disease and starvation. The survivors are packed into Buddhist monasteries or camping in the open, drinking water contaminated by fecal matter, with dead bodies and animal carcasses floating around.
Food and medicine are scarce. It was the first time that such nation worst experienced the ravaging effects of a natural occurrence.
For a tropical country like the Philippines, we experience around 17 to 20 typhoons a year (We had 2 so far for this year). Yet, we endure the strongest, the windiest and the rainiest. I don’t know any Filipino who has succumbed due to his starvation. We know the game of the survival of the fittest and we all seem to be fit to play. Flexible, when stretched like rubber, we know how to make both ends meet in one way or the other. Economy wise, we know how to manage things even at their most horrible, even at their most trying. We can easily cope with matters that are not used to be. I remember a time when I was branded as an apalyang layas not because of its taste of that lowly vegetable but because of its survivability in any soil or weather condition. That is how we are. Pwedeng tumubo at mamuhay kahit saan.
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Speaking of some bad times, I had a terrible experience at the Holy Angel University in Angeles City particularly at its gate. As I am on an official business of visiting and hand carrying a communication addressed to a Nursing College Official who is an acquaintance, I was brutally stopped by a blue guard assigned to that post. In anticipation, I opened my car’s window and politely told the arrogant sikyu that I am to see the said school officer and even showed the letter with the name of the person, his position and his department. I even showed and willingly wanted to leave my ID to that watchdog. He refused to let me enter the campus’ ample parking lot despite the traffic I created on the road beside the Sto. Rosario Church. He reasoned out that my car has no HAU sticker on its windshield that is why I can’t enter the school’s spacious premises just a gate away. I then pleaded that guard that I will call, using my mobile phone, the person that I am to see so he can talk to him and confirm my official appointment. He still refused my entry. I was helpless that I was forced to double-park my vehicle along a busy street and just waited for the official I am to talk with at the gate.
It was my first time to encounter such a hassle. The HAU is not even a military facility in a red alert status that I be denied entry. While it is a private institution, I despised the school’s (or the security guard’s) policy of no sticker-no entry despite an official transaction. I meekly complied with the guard atrocious action while I had some wounded feelings inside me brought about by an unjustified and irrational martial rule of that security guard which left me seemed to look like an enemy at the gates.
