When I was assigned to work in Pampanga and La Union for a number of years, I often felt sad when Christmas came around. That’s because I always equate the season with being close to family and friends, so the faraway posts were huge bombers.
Christmas in 2021 was especially nerve-wracking, as I was away when super typhoon Odette struck Cebu on Dec. 16. Unable to fly home at once, I had to travel to Manila just to make sure I’d get a ticket home since the Cebu-bound flights at Clark Airport were fewer. Worse, I couldn’t call anyone in Cebu since telco facilities were down.
Finally airborne after two days of waiting, I couldn’t stop praying for home and family. And as the plane descended in Mactan, I caught a glimpse of the massive devastation outside the window: smashed houses, flown-off roofs, uprooted trees and scattered debris.
The ride from the airport seemed to take forever but when I finally got home, I just broke down upon seeing that our house withstood the cyclone and my family was okay.
Such memories of Christmas remind us that while we may celebrate the season merrily, some others are not as lucky. Just a week ago, fire broke out in Pardo, Cebu City and in Guizo and Tipolo in Mandaue City. You can imagine the affected families’ distress in these areas right now.
Of course, the fire incidents came on the heels of even bigger calamities. For starters, there was the 6.9 magnitude earthquake on Sept. 30 that killed at least 79 persons, injured more than 1,200 others and damaged more than 10,000 houses along with numerous churches, hospitals, roads and buildings in Northern Cebu.
On Nov. 4 or roughly a month after the deadly earthquake, typhoon Tino swept through several towns and cities in Cebu, leaving behind at least 147 people killed, almost 2,000 injured, 43 missing, more than 200,000 individuals displaced and entire villages and subdivisions destroyed.
On Nov. 7, typhoon Uwan also battered Cebu with strong winds, huge waves and intense rains, knocking down electricity, flooding roads and damaging public infrastructure facilities in Lapu-Lapu City, San Remigio and Medellin.
In response, officials led by Cebu Provincial Gov. Pamela Baricuatro and Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival rallied the nation for help. All at once, Cebu became the subject of relief operations that saw a massive outpouring resources to alleviate the suffering of those affected.
We thus saw the best of how Cebuanos in particular and Filipinos in general can rise above challenges to help the distressed these past two months.
But much more needs to be done. Many families remain lost and homeless. And while some are grieving over the deaths of siblings or parents, others are still looking for their missing loved ones. Meanwhile, the victims’ relief goods will one day run out and they will just have to start to fend for themselves while picking up the pieces to restore their broken lives.
Which is why, this Christmas, let us think not just of ourselves but also of the lesser fortunate in our midst. A visit at an evacuation center, an orphanage, a home for the elderly or a charity ward in a public hospital could put more meaning into our holidays. Aside from prayers, we can offer them love, kindness and generosity that can hopefully bring them a bit of cheer and a reason to be merry.