Goodness Prevails

We've heard it said, many times before, that tragedies bring out the best in the Filipino. And we saw it again. Again and again in the last couple of weeks. From the jetskiing judge who saved dozens from death to the little girl who donated her favorite doll so that it could give comfort to another child victimized by Typhoon Ondoy.

I saw this goodness again last night. This time in the Malanday Elementary School in Marikina where more than 300 evacuee families remain.

We went there to distribute ready-to-eat food packs that Patty had prepared at home. Our contacts were two lady officers of the nearby Filipinas Village Homeowners' Assocation, Judy and Mila.

Both Judy (above, left) and Mila (above, right) were victims too. Their houses, like most of their neighbors' in Filipinas Village, were submerged in chest-deep murky water. And though most of the water has already receded, what still remains is a foot of filthy mud.Yet despite their personal misfortunes, Judy and Mila still volunteered to help out with the relief efforts in the nearby school.

"We are the lucky ones," Mila confessed. "Many of those in Malanday lost all their belongings."

Admirable too were Jun and the other youth members of the Marikina City Junior Police (MCJP) who manned the evacuation center voluntarily as guards.

Jun (above, extreme right) too was a victim of the flooding. But like Judy and Mila, and the countless other volunteers, they chose to be here helping in the relief efforts.

"There's nothing we can do to undo the damage," Jun reasons out. "It's best to just help out."