Life, so precious
more costly than any other gem in this world
protect it, enjoy it and savor its sweet memories
etched, imprinted, with an eternal seal
no one can fathom nor penetrate its perfect haven
in the deepest realm of thoughts

Yet, fleeting with time is one's strength
his aging body succumbs to illnesses
that even a god's nectar could neither heal
for the law of nature speaks
to dust we all come, to dust we shall return
no potion nor wonder drug could ever prevent
a flower from wilting; likewise, life borrowed is life returned.

Crucible of Crisis Brings out Heroes

Who would have thought that 6 straight hours of heavy rains on September 26, 2009 would cause severe flooding in Metro Manila, Rizal and other nearby provinces and destroy many lives and properties?

Even a well-known columnist of Philippine Daily Inquirer, Mrs. Rina Jimenez David, a resident of Antipolo, never expected that her house would be submerged in water. She said, it never happened in thirty years. So, when the water rose so fast, she and her family had to transfer to her sister’s house, nearby since they never had a rooftop for possible escape when the water continued to rise up beyond expected.

We heard many stories of heroism during the onslaught of typhoon Ondoy. Richard Gutierrez came to rescue Kristine Reyes at Provident Village; Judy Ann Santos and Ryan Agoncillo went to Vista Verde, Cainta, Rizal to reach out to their friend Gladys Reyes; Jericho Rosales used his surfing board to help save those people in their village; and many more.

Here in our very own Siena community, we also have unsung heroes. Angelo, a non-teaching personnel, along with Melvin, a school driver, accompanied Mrs. Gemma Mendoza in going home to her family who at that time ran out of water. Gemma’s primary concern that very moment was her one-year old baby, in need of milk. Since Junction was not yet passable the following day after the storm, they tried another route backdoor from Antipolo via Cogeo. However, some areas were still flooded, so they ended up rerouting to Markina going to Sta. Lucia. From Sta. Lucia, Angelo never left Gemma to make sure she would be safe. They had to walk through the chest deep water from Sta. Lucia to Karangalan, about a half kilometer stretch. From the gate of Karangalan, Gemma rented a rubber boat going to her house with Angelo beside her. It took them almost four agonizing hours to reach the house. During my interview with Gemma, she was very thankful for those who became her heroes – Angelo who never left her all the way home and Melvin who stayed overnight in Siena just to make sure he could reach out to personnel stranded in the campus to drive them home any time the flood receded.

Another heroic tale is from an alumnus of Siena, Ryan Nepomuceno. Out of compassion, during the onset of Typhoon Ondoy, he risked his life, swimming to his neighbors’ houses in Munoz, Quezon City to save their lives. One by one, he brought his neighbors to safer places – to two-storey houses nearby.

We also have Ana Navarette, our cashier, who reached out to calamity victims in their compound at Champaca Street, Taytay, Rizal by providing them meals which she personally cooked at her own expense.

Not to be outdone in their generosity and compassion, we have our very own Dominican Sisters headed by Sr. Mesalina E. Cloma, O.P. who visited the personnel affected by the typhoon and gave out rice and canned goods. Also from lay administrators, Mr. Renato Logatoc, Director of Siena College Community Development Center, together with some personnel and student leaders, distributed relief goods( from personnel and student body) to our destitute adopted communities who were devastated by the tropical storm.

In times of the most crucible of crisis, we, Filipinos, get united, bringing out the best in us – showing our heroic spirit. ABS-CBN, GMA Foundation, DSWD and other NGO’s have reached out to calamity victims, by personally manning the relief operations to areas mostly affected by floods.

As I watched TV news showing footages of typhoon victims in the evacuation centers lining up to get relief goods from generous donors, I could not help but shed tears. That time, I felt proud of being a Filipino. And I can readily say with my head up high that Filipinos are all heroes; that we are generous and kind-hearted people; that this Bayanihan spirit which we inherited from our forefathers is still alive today; and that if Rizal were alive today, he would smile and say, “Filipinos are worth dying for.”