Chico and Delamar take a break from the usual answering of letters to write their thoughts about the recent events brought about by the Great Flood.

CHICO SAYS…

Every generation is afforded an opportunity to find their place in the collective, to find their national identity, to figure out answers to why they are Filipino.

For my generation, I consider our defining moment as the events during the original EDSA revolution. Before Ninoy Aquino was assassinated, I didn’t even know who he was.

A mere three years later, there I was in the middle of EDSA, flanked by tanks on both sides, joining thousands of faceless, nameless Filipinos to show support to a cause that could’ve gone either way.

People were putting their bodies in front of tanks, not because doing so would prevent them from crushing them, but for the faint hope that the beating hearts inside the iron behemoths would beat in favor of their fellow Filipinos. Before that moment, I merely resided in the Philippines. After that, I felt like a Filipino.

In the preceding couple of years before Ondoy ravaged the city, the political landscape grew increasingly dim. The Filipino people found themselves bitter and jaded, having long lost hope in finding a government that actually cares for its people. I’ve heard so many times over people saying how they’ve lost any interest in the voting process, because no respite seems imminent from any horizon. Each politician is just as ignoble as the next. Even the great white hopes have proven to be false alarms and wolves in sheep’s clothing. We’ve just replaced rot with ruin, the same infection under different regimes. More and more Pinoys find sanctuary in the Middle East, in Canada, or anywhere but here, turning their backs on the actual or perceived hopelessness back home.
When Ondoy unleashed a watery maelstrom, the calamity hit a raw nerve. It awakened a dormant fire that lay in the embers of whatever was left of our love for country. True, it devastated life, limb and property, but it rallied a people who’ve lost any cause to fight for.

Suddenly, everyone was galvanized to act. Those who cannot donate, volunteered.

Those who cannot volunteer, donated. Many did both.

This generation has never seen anything quite like this in their lifetime, having people risking their own lives and well-being, just to help out fellow Filipinos fighting for theirs. Tragic circumstances like these inspire regular people to metamorphose into the heroes that lied cocooned inside, just waiting for a chance to be of service.

Young, old, rich, poor -- many labels were sloughed off as useless accoutrements - everyone worked side by side merely as fellow Filipinos. From the elite working in their posh villages to actual victims volunteering their time and efforts, even as they themselves lost everything they had, many did what they can, gave what they can, no matter how big or small.

Groceries were emptied, not by hoarders, but by people buying in bulk to send to donation centers. Everyone was mobilized: cooks to prepare packed meals, doctors to go on medical missions, divers to go on rescue missions, surfers, mediamen, triathletes, the military, the private sector, name it. Helping out became almost instinctive, as if acting on reflex. Natural calamities are great equalizers; everyone can be a victim, anyone can help out.

It’s feels good to see that the Filipino heart still beats strong when the need arises. True, it’s sad that it came at the expense of many, but no one can say it was for naught. Suddenly, collectively, we’ve learned to empathize once again. We’ve rediscovered compassion. We’ve become more critical of our leaders. We’ve grown curious as to how to be more careful of how we treat nature and our surroundings.

Sometimes, the lesson will only be as difficult as it needs to be for us to learn.

Of course inasmuch as Ondoy brought out the best in us, it also brought out the worst. But at least we feel alive again, and not just lifeless, bitter shells going about our daily grind. Suddenly we’re more appreciative of what we have, having lost or at least having almost lost what’s dear to us.

This generation will remember the Ondoy experience for a long time. Whether as a victim or as someone who helped, this episode in our history will remain quite indelible. Just like the EDSA revolution in 1986, it could mean a spark that fuels genuine change, or just another false start in a string of many. But I choose hope.

Maybe genuine change is but a quixotic dream, but we have to keep forging on, if not on a national level, even on a personal one.

If we all did what many exhibited during the past week, but on a smaller, quotidian scale, I truly believe we can still aspire for greatness. As the adage goes, “Many of the great achievements of the world were accomplished by tired and discouraged men who kept on working.” Amen to that.

DELAMAR SAYS...

Ondoy was a storm of about 80 kph. It wasn’t even a typhoon. It was weaker than that just a tropical storm.

But the message it left behind was strong enough for us to reconsider so many things that we have come to take for granted.

For me the one message that is loud and clear is: WE HAVEVE TO RERETHINK HOW WE ARERE TREREATING OUR ENVIRONMENT.

We need to take care of our planet so that it, in turn, can take care of us. With our mountains denuded, there were hardly any trees to keep a tight grip on the soil and absorb the rains. With the amount of trash we put out there, it blocked drainages. With all the squatters living in waterways it blocked the natural course of the floodwaters. With all the unchecked urban development we had no more space for much needed greenery.

The waters kept rising. And we were helpless. All we could do is try to get to higher ground and pray that the rains would stop and the waters to start going down.

But here we are, more than a week after Ondoy and the floodwaters is still here. It’s as if, it won’t let us forget that we need to rethink, reassess and address the needs of the country and the planet we live in. The stinking floodwaters won’t let us easily forget that we do need to care about what we are doing to our planet. By not caring for it, we endanger ourselves inevitably.

On a national level, bayanihan became so alive. We cared about one another. We worried and empathized about each other like we never did before. Our hearts bled for those who suffered. And we became kinder to one another and for the first time our usual, “How are you?” became so heartfelt. You could hear the genuine concern for our less fortunate kababayans. We reached out and helped those in need.

The private sector responded to the need and started to organize and give on its own volition. Simple everyday people wanted to give… something… anything…just to be of some help. Those without money gave their time and energy volunteering selflessly. Jadedness had no place as we all saw the need for us to come together as one but all of doing what we can. In the face of tragedy Filipinos rose to the occasion. And I choose to believe it made us better as a people. There was something good again that we can hold on to in ourselves. And that is priceless. We wish it didn’t have to cost this many lives and this much damage but…well, would we have listened any other way?

On a more personal level, we understood that beyond differences, arguments and fights we all value each other’s presence in our lives. I became acutely aware of the need to never let a day pass without having said a quick “Hello” or “How are you today” to the ones we care about just because at any moment they could be taken away or we could.

With all the problems facing our country in the aftermath of Ondoy and Pepeng, more than the tragedy, more than the difficulty and more than rebuilding of our cities, I choose to still believe in the good that we have shown so far believing that that is a good indication of all the good we can still and have yet to do for ourselves, for our countrymen and for our planet as well.

(Chico and Delle welcome your letters. Write to: youth@mb.com.ph or fax through 527-7511. Listen to the Dynamic Duo Monday to Saturday, 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. over Monster Radio RX 93.1)