Mabuhay Filipinos!

Two days ago, i took a day off from work and spent some time helping out at Villamor Air base. Villamor is the home and headquarters of the Philippine Air Force. Since the typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) hit the Philippines over a week ago, the Philippine Air Force and their wives have organized relief efforts for the survivors from Tacloban and other parts of Leyte who continue to arrive at the base through the C-130 rescue planes.

I witnessed people from different walks of life, of different races and religion,  come together for the common goal of helping in every way they can.  Businessmen carrying old people in wheelchairs, teenagers running to look for slippers for the kids, big armed men carrying tiny babies wrapped in blankets, pilots still in uniform serving meals to the survivors. The outpouring of support was just overwhelming. I saw the volunteers and i coud not help but cry. I felt proud to be part of the Filipino community. For the first time in  a really really long while, I realized that we are still raising our children in a world full of love. A world that hopes with us for the day when there will be peace and unity once again. 

Daycare

Hangar at Villamor

I leave you with Anderson Cooper's reporter's notebook about the Filipino's resilience.  That is indeed what we also witnessed as we counseled the survivors last Tuesday. Mabuhay Filipinos! Stand proud.