Ondoy brought
some good, too

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor GUILLERMO TEJIDA III Desk Editor NANETTE L. GUADALQUIVER Busines Editor NIDA A. BUENAFE Sports Editor RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

Just as it has been said that it's an ill wind that blows no good, perhaps now it can also be said, especially in the Philippines , that it's an ill flood that brings no blessings.

We say that, not because we do not feel for those who have suffered from the killer floods that typhoon Ondoy had brought, but because we have seen much also that we could be thankful for, despite the severe and often irreparable losses that it had brought.

After almost three days of watching in horror as the unfortunate residents of the areas in Metro Manila that had been swamped in dirty rushing waters brought by relentless rain suffered, we also saw heroic efforts by our fellow Filipinos risking their own safety, and even their lives, in trying to save the helpless ones, like the very young children and the elderly, who composed most of those stranded in homes virtually floating in water, or exposed, shivering in cold and hunger, on their rooftops.

Much more, even than the efforts of government, whose officials first had to use up time in holding meetings and giving statements, ordinary folk instantly got into action, mobilizing help and aid for their neighbors, getting those who could no longer return to their homes into evacuation centers, or to the houses of relatives willing to take them in.

But one of the most valuable virtues that surfaced among Filipinos was that of the old fashioned bayanihan spirit, the natural compulsion to help, and to do it willingly, wholeheartedly and without seeking responsibility or recompense.

This was particularly noticed in our young people, the students, the new professionals, who surprised everybody by swiftly lining up, not only to give donations but to help ease the sufferings and discomfort of the victims by working straight hours at packing relief goods, and also in handing them out to the needy.

Lately, we have often heard complaints about young people being so thoughtless, so self-absorbed, and focused only on having fun. It now looks as if this is not true at all. There is, indeed, great hope for our youth and their potential, and it seems it took Ondoy to prove it all.*