Typhoon Imelda

PICKING UP THE PIECES Typhoon Haiyan (Pablo) ravaged the better part of Tacloban 

I HAVE TO SQUINT MY EYES watching those images. It's unbearable. Dead bodies on the streets, homes flattened, lives shattered. The devastation of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) was so complete. Complete. Meaning it has leveled everything on its path, and left an entire nation demoralized and hurt. Like a sore eye that won't necessarily go away, wishing it was not around.

Yolanda was believed to be the strongest typhoon ever hit the country, with winds up to 235 kph (147 mph), and gusts of about 315 kph (195 mph) at one point, miles away from Bopha, the last major typhoon to hit the country, with gusts registering only a mere 175 mph as its strongest. Not only that, Yolanda was huge, covering almost the entire archipelago, and darkening the country for three days. It was unlike anything the country had experienced, despite being accustomed to storms and super typhoons.

The aftermath was even more depressing. It was as if every town, city, or province had been washed up by surging sea water that probably contributed to the severity of the situation. Tacloban, in particular, a small city in Leyte, suffered severely immediately after its impact, enabling one police officer to quip an estimated 10,000 people dead. The estimation, however, seems improbable, but considering how Yolanda decimated what was once a vibrant city into a vast wasteland, hard to imagine otherwise.

A state of calamity has been declared. The city (as in some other areas affected by the super typhoon), is now reeling for some outside help to be able to cover and recuperate at least a significant portion of the wreckage. And, as has been feared immediately after the typhoon subsided, nervous and panic-stricken residents of Tacloban went out of control, looting everything on its path as a means of getting by while waiting for some aid. Hungry and angry at times, Tacloban survivors flocked to a certain mall downtown scouring frantically and emptying the mall up to the brim. Suffice it to say, Tacloban is in dire need of help.

Contributions from the international community went on board. Thanks mainly to social media, with netizens having a field day since Thursday posting for some sympathy and support, and the relentless coverage of some news agencies that enabled organizations like UNICEF, Red Cross and a host of some foundations in and out of the country to act immediately. And I'm sure that in the couple of days help from abroad will intensify, either from relatives directly affected by the storm or from some a socio-civic organization that deals with these concerns, just so for Tacloban to maintain its balance after a severe beating from Yolanda.

The city, by the way, need not go far for some help though. Least we forget, Tacloban is Imelda Marcos' hometown. This is where the former first lady grew up. Her territory, so to speak. I have never been to Tacloban though, but I could sense that there's a street, a highway, or a memento out there that was named after her. At one point, at the height of the Marcoses in the 70s, she owned this place somehow. In fact, the incumbent mayor of Tacloban is a close relative. So, if it's possible, we don't necessarily need these interventions if only she could unleash her wealth for the resurrection of her hometown again. Her "10,000" shoes alone could give enough support from the mud and mire of Yolanda. 

"Her "10,000" shoes alone could give enough support from the mud and mire of Yolanda." 

Imelda, however, is recuperating from an ailment right now. Earlier this month, she was rushed to a nearby hospital after suffering a "fatigue", following an irregularity in her blood sugar. She's no longer that woman behind that seemingly unlimited power she once held and harangued, but it would be naive not to consider her influence in Tacloban for what it's worth. I could still remember those pictures my ex-girlfriend took when she visited Tacloban some years ago, pictures from Imelda's Sto. Niño Shrine in Tacloban (also known as The Romualdez Museum), a museum replete with a lot of antique and expensive furniture enough to match the grandeur and prestige of the Windsors. And if we could convert those things monetarily, it would certainly make a difference. Quite a difference, really.

Perhaps that museum, too, suffered like the rest of Tacloban. It was covered with mud, a wayward corpse found on its lawn, tattered and flat like those hapless shanties a few kilometers away from it. It, too, suffered the strains of that enormous inundation that somehow tarnished its once awesome splendor, and came out empty as soon as Yolanda went out. There has been no news so far of Imelda pertaining to her reaction of Yolanda. It would be interesting enough to know how she would react to such devastation, considering she has had her own "call" as far as mortality is concerned earlier this month.

I think Imelda should do something about it. Many people thought that climate change played a seething part as to why the devastation in Tacloban was so severe. Yolanda, almost always, was just part of the territory (ask everyone in Tacloban and they'll tell you its all part of the scene) but because of this change Tacloban was left with no real defenses when Yolanda did hit the land. The undermining of environmental concerns, such as mining, logging in some areas of the island, poisoning of every imaginable thing in its resources, things that somehow made its genesis in the Marcos years are now coming back, and coming back strong, leaving a trail of blood, mud and tears to its residents. Needless to say, what goes around comes around.

I hate to say this, but the legacy of the Marcoses, Imelda included, is one of pain and posturing. Like a dark cloud looming in the horizon, Imelda's presence sends a shock wave of wind and rain that could have been avoided by a mere shade by now. That incident at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (then Manila Film Center) has its semblance with what happened in Tacloban a few days ago, particular when someone was buried under a thick pile of rubble and ultimately buried alive. I don't know if Imelda is aware of it, but she's now given a second chance to redeem herself.

As I write this, Zoriada, a tropical depression, is slowly gaining speed towards Agusan del Sur with its dark clouds and an even darker rain, instances that could trigger (like Imelda's) a fatigue and an unmitigated rise of one's own blood sugar. Not that I'm morbid about it, but Agusan Sur is replete with a lot of imperatives the Marcoses were known for so long a time like mining, logging, poisoning of every imaginable thing in its resources, but unlike Tacloban though with Imelda (with her museum) still out of sight, Agusan Sur could relax a bit, since we have this plaza as our evacuation center if in case our very own is not around.  

FEELS LIKE HEAVEN What happened to Imelda Marcos' Shrine in Tacloban City? 

   

photo credits: wsoctv.com, ph,news.yahoo.com