After Haiyan

Residents walk past the devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2013, in Daanbantayan town, north Cebu, central Philippines. Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful storms on record, slammed into six central Philippine islands on Friday, leaving a wide swath of destruction and scores of people dead. AP Photo/Chester Baldicantos/ Taken from: Philstar.com

God is Nature, or so many learned humanists that I have had the privilege to have met say.

If God were nature, then the recent typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) was his finger – a finger so devastating that it may have wiped out an entire town and people.

I have seen the news and it is beyond frightening. I could not even do justice on how to describe it.

Bodies litter the streets not only human remains, but including animals domestic and agricultural. It was said that storm surges a high as 10 meters swept across the city. It was a deluge that would be the envy of Noah. Leyte, Samar, Northern Cebu, Tacloban, Palawan – all of these places – ravaged, and not only these places but also the small islands which were ‘passed-over’ by nature’s wrath.

People in these parts resorted to looting. Civility and the law of the land is fragile. When these disasters strike, anarchy comes. Human society is not as advanced as we think it is, the hint of savegry runs deep.

I have lost a lot of people whom I hold dear. And yet, amidst this tragedy, the waterproof Filipino spirit will stand.