"No Storm Can Bring Us To Our Knees...": Aftermath of Supertyphoon Haiyan
The early morning trip to Dao, a landlocked town in Capiz, from Iloilo city was punctuated with scenes of Mother Nature's destructive force. Along the road, we saw fallen electrical posts, trees stripped off their leaves, bamboo grass kissing the earth, bent and overwhelmed by the strongest typhoon to have ever hit land according to some experts. The team of medical staff and volunteers of Zuellig Family Foundation was responding to two of our partner-municipalities in the province of Capiz. Capiz is located in the North of Panay Island, one of the hardest hit areas of the typhoon. Together with doctors and nurses and staff, we were bringing with us relief goods and medicines for a medical mission not just in Dao but also in neighboring Ivisan.
Upon reaching Dao, our official photographer (Revoli Cortez) went around to capture the devastation of Supertyphoon Haiyan, also known as Yolanda. He took pictures of damaged houses, wrecked covered courts and washed out schools.
There was one particular school where he took a picture of three students, with bags on their backs, rushing towards their damaged classroom as if they were already late for school. It was a Monday and supposedly, Mondays are the start of classes. They seemed to be not mindful of the wreckage around them.
Meanwhile, their teachers were busy cleaning what was left of their classrooms.
On the other hand, the boys were just waiting outside, washing their hands with water from a nearby hand-pump. It was as if they were waiting for something to happen.
Of course, Monday. And just like any other Monday, the school was preparing for its usual flag ceremony.
Slowly, the teachers, in their uniforms, started gathering on what was supposedly around a flagpole. The students started arranging the rope where they would tie the Philippine flag.
And promptly at 8:00 am, they said a prayer, raised the flag as one teacher led the rest in the singing of the National Anthem.
We are a proud and resilient race. We have suffered and yet after every suffering we have triumphed. No storm can bring us down. We will come out of this broken but never defeated.
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Upon reaching Dao, our official photographer (Revoli Cortez) went around to capture the devastation of Supertyphoon Haiyan, also known as Yolanda. He took pictures of damaged houses, wrecked covered courts and washed out schools.
There was one particular school where he took a picture of three students, with bags on their backs, rushing towards their damaged classroom as if they were already late for school. It was a Monday and supposedly, Mondays are the start of classes. They seemed to be not mindful of the wreckage around them.
Meanwhile, their teachers were busy cleaning what was left of their classrooms.
On the other hand, the boys were just waiting outside, washing their hands with water from a nearby hand-pump. It was as if they were waiting for something to happen.
Of course, Monday. And just like any other Monday, the school was preparing for its usual flag ceremony.
Slowly, the teachers, in their uniforms, started gathering on what was supposedly around a flagpole. The students started arranging the rope where they would tie the Philippine flag.
And promptly at 8:00 am, they said a prayer, raised the flag as one teacher led the rest in the singing of the National Anthem.
We are a proud and resilient race. We have suffered and yet after every suffering we have triumphed. No storm can bring us down. We will come out of this broken but never defeated.
Like it? Share it.
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