Malamang, ito na ang unang Filipino at English post ko ito sa blog na ito. Pero marahil, isa na rin itong paraan para sa aking pagbibigay pugay sa bayaning Pilipino. This is just some compilations of my past blog posts in my older blogs dedicated to the Filipino spirit of resilience and bayanihan. This is just the first part. Bangon Pilipino!
Pilipinas: Sa Delubyo at Ligaya
(mula sa The Bamboo Bayou ng berniemack.i.ph - published November 12, 2021)
Filipinos smiling despite the catastrophe (Photo from Felixberto Baguyo Jr.'s Blog http://www.bleuken.com/)
Ang Pilipinas ay itinuturing na isa sa mga pinadelikadong lugar pagdating sa mga sakuna na dulot ng lindol, pagputok ng bulkan, bagyo at iba’t ibang delubyo na dala ng inang kalikasan. Kung tutuusin, binibisita tayo ng humigit-kumulang na 18 o 20 na bagyo kada taon, may habagat na nagdadala ng malakas na bugso ng ulan tuwing Hunyo hanggang Oktubre. Mga lindol na aakalain mong katapusan na ng mundo tulad ng nangyari noong 1990 na sumira sa mga lungsod ng Baguio, Cabanatuan at Dagupan. Akala mo ang dagat dito hindi lumalamon ng lupa, noong 1976 ang Moro Gulf Tsunami ay kumitil ng libo-libong buhay sa baybayin ng Mindanao. Ang pagputok ng Pinatubo ay maituturing isa sa mga pagputok ng ika-20 siglo. Ayoko nang isa-isahin at baka maubos oras ko sa blog. Continue reading An Ode to Filipino’s Resilience (part 1)
From Iloilo to Sendai with Compassion
Sendai Airport CCTV capturing the tsunami engulfing its tarmac (video courtesy of Russia Today)
On March 11, 2011, the world was shocked and awed again with nature’s raw awesome power as Japan’s Tohoku region was rattled by a magnitude 8.9 earthquake, and after that-the sea gobbled up cities, towns, farms and people — seven meter tsunami has changed the Japanese psyche and landscape forever. The aftermath was devastation and death. Japan’s worst crisis since the end of World War II.
Iloilo Airport was brought by the cooperation between the Japanese and the Filipinos
What I couldn’t believe was that even Sendai Airport was like a sitting duck in nature’s fury as its runway was submerged in sea water of debris and destruction. Come to think of it, the airport is already located more than a kilometer away from the coast (the tsunami was reported to have reached as far as 10 kilometers inland!) In a way, Sendai Airport reminds me of Iloilo Airport…however its far from the coast line and was constructed with Japanese backing and aid.
Continue reading From Iloilo to Sendai with Compassion