Many times we people would not feel any compassion to the people whom we barely know who experienced tragedies be it natural or man-made. We often times just shrugged our shoulders indifferently thinking and believing that we are not the victims and we don’t know them. We even think that we’ve got nothing to do with their sufferings and that we can’t do anything to help them.

Personally, when the Philippines got hit by countless typhoons, I was never worried. I did not care because those affected were in the Northern part of the Philippines, the Luzon area. I never felt the need to even care and pray for the victims souls and help those survivors in any way. Why? Simple, it’s far from home. I’m not directly affected.

But, when disaster hits close to home, it’s like I was slapped in the face. Cagayan de Oro is just 45 minutes away from my home. At first that realization never sink in. The typhoon just passed our town and wreak havoc in Cagayan de Oro .But who cares we were spared. That was my initial thought though I felt sad about what happened. It is because I never knew those people personally, I could not feel any compassion for them. I could not feel the gravity of their loss and the graveness of the situation. 

Because of what had happened my school decided not to celebrate the Christmas so we could use the money as assistance to the victims of the flash flood. We encouraged all our students and personnel to donate goods and clothing for the said victims. Yesterday, October 20, 2011 was supposedly our party. But then, we used our time to receive and sort all the donated clothings, noodles, and canned goods. I personally helped the students in wrapping cooked rice and food. I even helped in folding clothes to be given to the victims as we planned to hand them personally in the afternoon of that same day. But then, despite all those efforts I cannot really say that I am deeply moved by the tragedy.

Afternoon came and we rode on our school jeep in going to the city. Our administrators decided to go to Tibasak, the place where the flashflood hits first. On our way to the place we inhaled the pungent smell of decay. We were greeted by a horrible sight. I can’t helped but feel horror about the sight. Many houses were swept by the water. Destruction was everywhere. I could see uprooted trees, destroyed cars and houses. How could this happen to a place near home? Everywhere I look, I see traces of mud and everything destroyed by the flood. Our vehicle could barely pass the street. I can’t help but feel horrified. We came out from the vehicle and started giving the food and goods we prepared for the victims. Many of the victims were clearly happy to see us extending our help. My heart suddenly felt the pain and the loss the victims have felt when I personally saw them there. I was deeply moved that our efforts in giving them something- how small it may be have made them happy. I felt an irreparable grief for those four hundred families who lived near the riverbank of Tibasak and now were washed away by the flash floods. I can’t help but think how are these victims coping, knowing that some of their families are still missing up to now. They have no houses, no shelter, no food, no water, and worse some of their families are dead. My heart bleeds knowing that I can’t help in all those things and that I am incapable of doing such thing.But I was happy that in some way I was, we were able to bring joy and short comfort in their life. I fervently hope to God that after this tragic disaster, we could still continue, all those victims could still continue living and be thankful to God.

I hope and pray that nothing like this would ever happen to any one of us in the world. I realize that despite all these, we can only gather strength in our faith in God that everything will tur out all right. Let us always have faith in Him no matter what.