Sacrifices, anyone?

103 injured, 64 known deaths, five remains missing, and P5.68 billion or $130.45 million worth of damages to infrastructure and agriculture were left in the wake of Typhoon Rammasun, or locally known as Typhoon Glenda, after days of devastating wind currents and torrential downpour left the Philippines crippled. Moreover, it left the country’s premier industrial area, Metro Manila, in shambles as it receives the most number of deaths and damages.

Stop and think about the facts mentioned above and combine it with the next set of figures. In a recent survey dating back to May 2014, Metro Manila has been labeled as the city with the world’s highest homeless population. The statistics include 22.8 million people, including 1.2 million children, who are currently living and surviving in Metro Manila slums. And on the other hand, a recent figure shows 300,000 people ending up in a homeless state after every single calamity hits the Philippines.

The fact of the matter is that the Philippines will always be a tourist spot for typhoons and different calamities. Additionally, the Philippines is a country that has most of its citizens concentrated in a single calamity prone area. The scarier part here of course is that these typhoons and calamities will only get stronger and stronger as the years go by. Additionally, the Philippines is a country that has most of its citizens concentrated in a single calamity prone area, which simply means that damages will definitely be high and numerous.

Another fact that we have to deal with is that as fragile human beings, damages and loss will always occur in the wake of a typhoon. But despite all of these, the government is not to be blamed for all these deaths and injuries because they are only instruments of peace and order during a calamity. A mere safeguard to at least minimize the sacrifices that each and every one of us has to give in order to survive the ordeal.

The real question here is that what will you have to sacrifice when chaos and devastation is standing right in your doorstep. And when the going gets tougher, the most likely question will probably be what will the typhoon forcefully take from you.

In the aftermath of Typhoon Rammasun, I noticed a couple of things that made it to the feeds of social media. The first being the important circulation of advisories, rescue hotlines, and updates from the different parts of the country. And the second being the common rants of the people affected by the typhoon such as the need for faster internet connection and some power source for their gadgets and gizmos.

I’m not saying that there’s something wrong with ranting, but fact of the matter here is that there are unfortunate people out there scrambling for survival and shelter at the same time in which some peoples’ biggest struggles only involves tweeting and checking their social media accounts for personal updates.

While it is true that we live in a society wherein not everyone shares the same level of safety and shelter, we should still be a society wherein each and every one of us can share our sympathy and concern for one another. It may not be in donations or any monetary assistance, it may also not be in volunteer work or relief duties, but at least in a simple gesture by offering the our thoughts and concern for our fellow countrymen. Sure, it may not be effective per se, but it is the least that we can do in times of suffering and tragedy.

I won’t come clean and wash my hands by saying that my attention and concern were solely fixed on what is happening on our country and its people. During the typhoon, I was more focused on the Malaysia Air Flight MH17 incident. However, I do believe that it is still of necessary action that we put all our personal desires aside in times where our support and care are needed the most. Internet connection, power supply for your leisure purposes, and the urge to spend some recreational time in the metro can come after bigger sacrifices are dealt with.

With homeless people fighting for their very lives and the lives of their children in the streets outside the comfort of your room, trust me when I say that your unstable WiFi connection is just a tiny sacrifice compared to the holocaust that is happening.

The next time a typhoon lands on our shores, think twice if your rants are worth the tweet or post, because you never know if you’ll be chanced upon to give up something as hefty as those who experienced sacrificing blood and tears in exchange for survival and homelessness.