i was stumped due to what is happening in our country, and the world in general (floodings and wild fires). the Philippines is again in the headlines due to typhoon "frank". i could say "frank" has a mind of his own. he did not conform to his forecast - which-was-he-will-not-landfall-and-that-he will only-cruise-along-the-shores-of-Luzon-then-go-to-Taiwan-and-that's-the-end-of-him.
with that reassuring statement from the masters-of-the-weather-agency, we turned back to our ordinary lives. however, "frank" will not do-as-forecasted. he made his own-route. he made landfall. and worse, he made a circuitous way. "frank" was supposed to go to Luzon, but he went to visit the Visayas region. on Friday(June 20), the rains and winds were already pounding our region (Eastern Visayas). we are on signal no.2. power went-off. classes were suspended.and the office allowed us to go home. at home, we tuned-in to the old-reliable-radio to monitor "frank". outside it was chaos. debris were flying around the city. one can't see what was in-front of him because of the rains and winds. my sister texted me that their plane circled for three-hours in tacloban. but they were not able to land so they went back to manila. floodings were everywhere. many were stranded since no transportation were available. we prayed for mercy.
we slept through all this. at around 2 a.m. i woke-up. power were already restored. rains and winds had abetted. we turned on the tv and monitored on "frank". he was still in the vicinity, but his wrath was turned on the neighboring regions. then we heard of news on the ship "princess of the stars" that it had an "engine" problem somewhere between manila and cebu. and the next time we heard it has capsized! with her 800 or more passengers.
it was like a deja vu! it was like doña paz and doña marilyn all over again! the same shipping line - sulpicio lines. images of crying and angry relatives, bloated bodies, the mass graves, futile-efforts of identifying relatives, rescue efforts, tearful reunions of survivors and families, survivors relating their traumatic experiences, and the after effects - investigations-here-and-there, and the finger-pointing-of-who-is-to-blame.
when will we ever learn?
