Bona fide Text
The aftermath of a nightmare
The never-ending increase of prices of gasoline and LPG, the unstoppable political bickerings and mockery, and growing number of Filipinos who are unemployed become the evils of growth of the Philippine economy. It is somehow too difficult to live here in the country when everything seems to increase as time passes, good thing if the minimum salary of an employee increases.
This is the general picture of the country before the destructive typhoon Frank hit Region VI. But after the catastrophe on June 21, everything has changed thus, Western Visayas' economic condition experienced its worst scenario.
There are many stories to tell after a nightmare. Many versions of survival stories and horrifying moments can be heard even in all airs of Western Visayas. Even if you are just a mere jeepney passenger, you would hear the stories of someone seating beside you or in front of you about how destructive Frank was.
Classes were off for two days for some schools which are not greatly affected but for some, students will comeback two weeks after. Most of the public schools were destroyed and some which are still in good condition served as evacuation centers of the victims. Most books were all wet and chairs and tables were in chaos. And again, it will take another budget from the government to fix everything and to put all things in order.
There was a shortage of rice and drinking water even bread and noodles days after. And some supplier and sellers took advantage of increasing the price of their commodities thinking that they can generate income in doubled. Good thing, Mayor Treñas issued a memorandum that whoever is caught overpricing, will be punished by retrieving the license to operate a business.
Good for those who have second floor, they were able to save if not all, some of their precious properties. For for those who are living in a bungalow type of house definitely as soon as the the two-meter chocolate brown water entered their house, they have no choice but to run for their safety on top of their roof or to knock at their neighbor's house who has a second floor.
The cars in all kinds scattered on the streets full of mud and most of the cars were destroyed and some were carried away by the very strong water current. The insurance policy of the cars clearly stated that if it is damaged or destroyed by a natural calamity then they are not covered by the policy. It is a burden on part of the car owners however, for them, it is better to lose their cars than to lose their loved ones.
I visited the house of my friend in Landheights Subdivision and found out that water level is higher than me on the height Frank hit the city on June 21. The appliances that took them years to acquire were all coated with mud. Her mom mentioned that all difficulties in life were experienced already by her daughter; problems in her marriage, her previous house was burned and now, suffered by the wrath of Frank. But I admired her for being a strong person and for keeping her good relationship with God. She never lose her faith in Him that even in the midst of difficulties in life, God is with her and with her family.
As of this writing, the death toll caused by the typhoon increased already to 352 and there are 292 who are still missing all over Region VI. Last Monday, it was reported that around 417,000 families were affected and approximately 3 million pesos worth of agricultural lands and 1.6 billion pesos of infrastructures were destroyed.
Iloilo is in catastrophe days after the typhoon hit and destroyed houses, schools, bridges, hospitals, properties and killed many lives and left a very traumatic experience to all of us. Until today, there are areas with no electricity and according to the MIWD it will take months to reconstruct the water lines that were destroyed.
The nightmare that happened on June 21, 2008 was the worst and the memorable one and will be part of the history not only in the Region VI but in the entire country and the world.
(For comments, e-mail me at Franzylu@hotmail.com)