Living Life for Others
Patricia Mae Peralta
Tacloban. When people hear this word, one thing comes to mind: Yolanda. For days on end, television screens have showed nothing but the ruins of this city, etching it into the memories of people forever. For us, however, Tacloban was more than that. It was to be our home for one week.
Walking through the streets of the infamous city was a surreal experience. Many news reports have already depicted much of the damage done by Yolanda, the super typhoon that struck it last November 2013, but it was a whole new experience seeing it for myself.
Upon arriving at the airport, we were welcomed by a still devastated airport. With nothing left but its basic structure, it was the first sign of what were going to witness throughout the city. Travelling to the heart of Tacloban, we were struck by other times contradicting images. On one side of the city, there would be construction sites for new houses, and celebrations of newly reopened businesses, signifying the development that has since occurred since Yolanda. On the other side of the city, however, there still remained uprooted trees and still-occupied United Nations tents, painting a picture of stagnation and poverty still prevalent since the disaster.
While the situation of the city remained inconsistent at times, one thing never faltered: its people’s spirit. Every single person that I got to talk to were affected by the typhoon one way or another. Yet their eyes were brimming with nothing but hope and earnestness for their beloved city. The people of Tacloban taught me that indeed, the human spirit endures.
Spirit is all there is during times like this.
It is in the employees of Philippine Tuberculosis Society, who report to work everyday, despite their workplace being in shambles, despite not receiving any assistance from the government.
It is in the employees of Eastern Visayas Network, Miss Pauline, Ate Violy, and Kuya Jun, who continue to promote the advocacies of their organization, despite being victims of the typhoon themselves.
It is in the area coordinators Kuya Mifael, Kuya Vince and Ate Luz, who endlessly represent the concerns of their area’s civil society organizations, despite opposition from local government units, and grueling regular trips to their areas.
It is in the civil society organization leaders Kuya Roland and Ate Remy, who tirelessly champion civil society participation in the government, even though they are not paid to do it; even though they have their own jobs and families to worry about.
As one doctor from the Philippine Tuberculosis Society remarked when asked why she keeps doing her job despite everything that happened, “We don’t have a choice. We have to get up.”
But you know what? They do have a choice. They could just go on with their own lives and not care about other people. They could just get up and leave Tacloban, and not help with the rehabilitation. They could just go on and live their life in comfort without worrying about others. But they don’t. Everyday, they make a choice to get up and live their life for others. Everyday, they make a choice to not give up on Tacloban and its people. Everyday, they make a choice not to let this tragedy defeat them.
These people are the reason why I think we need not worry about Tacloban anymore. Because no matter what, there are dedicated, passionate and hardworking people who will be there to rebuild the city.
As Miss Pauline quipped to us one day, “I see Yolanda as an opportunity. It is our chance to rebuild things, and to rebuild them better.” And surely, rebuild Tacloban better, they will.
Trixie graduated with a degree in Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at the University of the Philippines-Diliman. She likes literature, movies, music, and writing.