Grateful

Today, I woke up to the sound of my phone beeping. It was a text message from B! She had been rescued! Later, I would find out as well that E, who we have not heard from since yesterday, was also safe. My brother-in-law, who was stranded in Makati, also made it home safely. I was quite relieved until I turned on the television. There, in full color, we saw the full wrath of Ondoy.

I thought that by the morning, everything would be OK but no. There were still people trapped in their homes. There were cars strewn on the streets. There was mud everywhere. On the screen, we saw people being carried off to who-knows-where by strong currents. It was horrible. And the more horrid news: A lot of people were still missing.




Locked up at home, it was inevitable that my sons would once again start fighting. And that's when I kind of lost it. Like one of those school teachers of yore, I started telling them about how fortunate they were to have a roof over their homes while people were out in the streets, how lucky they were to be playing games while other children were shivering in wet clothes. I was mean! I admit it. On any other day, I wouldn't have minded their bickering, but this was not any other day.

Truth to tell, deep inside, I felt kind of guilty. While B was walking waist-deep in flood water with her son in her arms, I was bundled up in my blanket, sleeping. While we still have all these birthday cakes, people trapped in their homes have no food and drinking water.

But what do I do? We were lucky, very lucky, and I am very grateful. That's when I started scrounging around my closet, hoping to round up enough clothes, blankets, and towels to take to a drop off center tomorrow. That's all I can do for now, that and pray!

These photographs were taken by Marinela Poso.
She was with her sister Mapet, on their way home to Marikina.

Want to give? Here's where you can go: (From GMA 7)

Disaster Relief Operations, Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC)-Central Office
488-3199 (24 hours); DROMIC-National Capital Region, 931-8101 to 05 local 506, 951-7119 (24 hours); Crisis Intervention Unit (CIU)-National Capital Region- 734-8635 (24 hours); they need blankets

Ateneo de Manila University Disaster Response Group
Ateneo de Manila University, Loyola Heights , Quezon City; Manuel V. Pangilinan Building Center for Student Leadership Lobby; 09089977166, 09178952792, 4266001 local 5050; donate goods or volunteer to help repack goods

Citizens Disaster Response Center (CDRC)
72-A Times St., West Triangle Homes , QC; 9299820, 9299822; donate goods or help distribute them

Radio Veritas
Veritas Tower , West Ave. cor EDSA; 9257931 to 39, 0918VERITAS; donate goods

Our Lady of Pentecost Parish
12 F. dela Rosa cor. C. Salvador Streets, Loyola Heights, QC; 632 4342397, 63 2 9290665; donate packed meals and drinking water

Victory Fellowship – Fort Bonifacio
Every Nation Building , across from Market-Market, Fort Bonifacio; 813-FORT, 8171212; www.twitter.com/VictoryFort; donate canned goods, milk, bottled water, clothes, cash or volunteer to help pack goods