A test of our faith and courage
What was initially thought of as a mere weather disturbance that would have brought the usual thunderstorms turned out to be a horrible experience for Boholanos.
Unlike Typhoon Yolanda, which was forecasted as a super typhoon days before it entered the Philippine Area Responsibility (PAR), Typhoon Odette caught us by surprise when it transformed into a super typhoon as it entered the country. And when it started to pound the entire province, Odette’s wrath was unleashed and pounded our homes.
Odette tested our preparedness, and we have been deficient in many respects. We heard the news of rescuers asking for a rescue when they were supposed to be the people to lead their turf.
President Rodrigo Duterte admitted that government funds had been depleted in fighting the pandemic. But being a country visited by destructive typhoons year in and year out, shouldn’t the government set aside separate budgets for disasters like these?
Odette tested our leaders’ sincerity to serve their constituents, and it separated the chaff from the grain. Some leaders put their lives on the line, while others have shown not an ounce of sympathy to the plight of the people they have sworn to serve.
Odette may have left a permanent scar in our lives, and its wrath may be the fiercest we have experienced. But coming out of this very difficult situation now will make us better and stronger persons.
Bohol may have been devasted at the break of dawn after that long, horrible Thursday night, but the havoc is no match to our will to survive. Like the earthquake that has shaken us with tremors of fear in 2013, we will rise from the wreckage and build back a better Bohol.