JUST like the forecasts of the weathermen, the storm arrived in the middle of the night with heavy rains and battering winds. Before dawn came, the radio and phones grew frantic with distress calls and messages – landslides everywhere, fallen trees, flooding, and damage to properties.
The prayers of the sleepless personnel in command centers and response units are the same: that no casualties would ever be reported... unfortunately, to their eventual dismays. The deluge did what it came to do – leaving the country with haunting grief and inconsolable pain.
Almost ten years ago, Typhoon Pepeng claimed almost 80 lives in the Little Kibungan village at Puguis, La Trinidad, Benguet. We were there, we saw the inexplicable emotions of losing our friends, our family members.
As of this writing, the lives lost by the onslaught of Typhoon Ompong in Itogon, Benguet, are feared to reach more than 100. The recent disaster is undeniably close to home – our own farms, mountains, neighbourhood, and playgrounds. The victims are not faceless; but our friends, relatives, neighbors, kailyans. All of us would face the next days with heavy hearts. All of us are in pain.
But just like the aftermath of Pepeng, we saw the spirit of bayanihan and the outpouring support of the community. Helping others is embedded in our culture. We witness the selflessness of volunteers, and the generosity of the Cordilleran people (God bless their hearts). May we rise up against this painful experience and build a better and more secured community for us present inhabitants of this earth, and of course for the generations to come.
Together, we shall rise up from the rubbles. Together, we will overcome.
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The La Trinidad Tourism week is postponed as our way of showing solidarity and sympathy to the victims of the recent tragedy in our province, and the country as a whole. Such sensitivity is required in this difficult times. After all, tourism can take the backseat if only to prioritize helping community members get back to their feet. The week-long event is therefore moved to October 22 – to October 28, 2018 with the same line-up of events.
We have also repackaged the tourism musical activity to instead serve as a benefit and “solidarity concert” for the victims of Typhoon Ompong. We have tapped the Benguet Association of Tourism Officers as co-sponsors, and who will assist in identifying possible beneficiaries of the activity.
Since we personally believe in the healing qualities of music, the concert on October 25, which we named “#RiseUpBenguet, is planned to dispel the depressing and heavy atmosphere of the recent tragedy, and signify hope, healing, and faith. Interested bands for this jamming session may contact my Facebook page, or text me at 09294619617. Thank you very much!