Undo Ondoy

The magnitude of havoc wrought by typhoon ondoy was unprecedented, like a catastrophe caused by the fury of a vengeful God in the Old Testament. The large part of the metropolis was inundated claiming lives and ravaging millions of properties. As expected, tongues wagged, finger pointing ensued as to who’s to blame. The moled midget, with the congenital smirk and her minions were blamed because of the snail-paced response. Even Jesus, who is rumored to be coming soon, was blamed by the doomsayers.

I was lucky I am living in an elevated part of Quezon City surrounded by trees; I was unaware that the other part of the city was under deluge. That fateful Saturday morning I was awaken by the unusually heavy downpour and the incessant banging of my window which I left open the night before. It was cold. I got up, anticipating a hot and steaming coffee, and I could almost see myself huffing and puffing a cigarette in bliss while looking at the window, underscored by the rain and the wind. I was sipping my strong instant Nescafe when I reached out my menthol lights from the cupboard; I was horrified that it was empty.

My greatest fear is being trapped in place without a cigarette. Imagine my utter frustration. I went bonkers and I had to restrain myself from throwing china. I wanted to run to a nearby store but the heavy rain cast a seemingly impenetrable wall, while ghastly wind started pummeling the trees. As my system was aching for a nicotine fix, I cursed whoever is responsible for the heavy rain, and my own idiocy of not saving cigarette for the rainy days.

Until I opened the TV set and watched the special coverage of ABS-CBN. Pedestrians were stranded on the streets in water waist deep. Houses, flyovers and bridges were submerged. People were already on their roof crying for rescue. I watched people and vehicles being washed away by the violent torrents. Trapped children crying for help. Later on, dead bodies were recovered from the debris. Unidentified corpses were scattered on the streets.

While the rest were at their existential reckoning, gripped with the most harrowing human suffering, here I am throwing tantrum over the lack of cigarette. I wanted a little puff and I curse the world for not giving me any. Please flagellate me now.

The horrifying images I saw were indelible. I started to get worried for our safety. The rain never stopped, the more it intensified. Then the power went pfft. The faucet only gurgled, sputtered and spit a murky droplet. I checked our potable water supply, but all we have was half filled pitcher. I called the water refilling station but the lines were dead. Water everywhere but not a single drop to drink. I made an inventory of the food in our ref in case the flood would reach us but all we have were three pieces of wrinkled tomatoes, few anorexic beef slices, fast-food ketchups, a pack of Lucky Me Pancit Canton and a bottle with traces of what appeared to be peanut butter. A rat would not even survive given the present logistics.

The following day the news was foreboding. The after math: 240 dead and still counting. An entire city virtually wiped out. We were lucky we were spared, it could t have been us.

It’s time we look at the big picture. It’s time we worry about ourselves. The entire human race is in danger. Let us rebuild our Earth. We know what to do.

I envy the unfeeling, the unthinking.