The Wolf

margoism:

ellobofilipino:

margoism:

ellobofilipino:

oxfamgb:

This video shows the extent of the worst floods to hit Pakistan in 35 years and how they are continuing to cause havoc, misery and suffering.

Commenting on the disaster

This flood is of an overwhelming size and its impact is only slowly emerging. The water has swept away everything. Families are desperate about the loss of their loved ones, their belongings and their livelihoods. Water sources and crops are destroyed. People are in need of food, clean drinking water, shelter and toilets to avoid a public health crisis.

And yet no much is seen and heard in news programs here in the Philippines. That is just sad. Very sad.

it kind of makes me wonder, when does one deviate from their sentiments on a similar matter about their own country to the global view. 

Families are desperate about the loss of their loved ones, their belongings and their livelihoods. Water sources and crops are destroyed. People are in need of food, clean drinking water, shelter and toilets to avoid a public health crisis.

…the same could be said about our brothers and sisters in rural areas, especially in war-torn mindanao. i’m sad to hear that people in other countries are suffering but my heart, my thoughts, and my sentiments will remain with my countrymen.

uhm, i’m not being insensitive, am i?

I guess perceptions vary from person to person. In my case, it has become my instinct, probably due to my course, profession, or even the culture at the family house, to view events in other countries with the same importance as those here in our own.

The events of places in Europe, Central Asia, South America, no matter how distant affects us all in one way or another and I think you know this. Other than that, I think that knowing about the events in other countries and doing something, even as ordinary as spreading a video or news article about it, has raised the awareness of your own countrymen of the struggle of people in other countries. Public awareness results to public pressure on government, and pressure on government results to action.

At least you do care about what is happening in Mindanao. Very few people actually do. All they say is that my homeland is a place of violence and endless wars. Yet they hardly read much about it, much more visit it. I hope though that there were more people who would care.

Incidentally, do you know that more than 8,000 families have been displaced by floods in Maguindanao? That is also something which has not been given much prominence in the national news programs and dailies.

hehehe, i actually do know. it was the wisdom my history teacher in highschool made me understand - every small thing we do, even if we are not aware of it, has global effects :D

my father, being a historian first than a philippine (career) diplomat, taught me at an early age to love my country even if we were heavily into travelling to godforsaken countries (like iran and saudi arabia) when i was younger that at this age, i had decided to stick it out here through thick or thin even if i have the means to leave. 

i’ve never travelled to mindanao but i’m considering…looking back, my brother, who is now a doctor, used to say that bombing the place was the solution to end the war there - well, we were kids back then (just imagine what we talk about during family meals). media serves as a double-edge sword when it comes to mindanao anyway - too much focus on the beautiful, they will be accused of hiding the truth. too much focus on the war, they will be accused of selling mindanao as people un-friendly. somehow, manny pacquiao, nevermind how corny it was that he became a congressman, placed mindanao on the map and balanced the good, the bad, and the ugly. if i have a wish for him, i hope he would put his wealth and influence into good use not just for gen san but for mindanao as a whole.

That’s good to know. Yep, I am sure you guys have international relations for meals three times a day. The same goes for us in the house since my father is also a journalist. We would talk about almost anything. My mother does not like it much though because she thinks we spoil the food with all the talk. Still, we persist.

To some extent you are right on how the media portrays Mindanao, particularly the national media. Manila oftentimes sends in parachute journalists who are actually there to earn their stripes and carve out their name, much to the detriment of the image of the places and people in the Land of Promise. The burden is then left to the local journalists who try to uplift the image of the Island by coming up with human interest stories and pieces on tourism events.

I do think though that it would take more than just the Pacman to change the image of Mindanao. The perception of the Island has been shaped by centuries of Spanish and American colonial stereotyping. It will take a long time before Mindanao would be viewed from a different light. Still, we from the Land of Promise try our best to write about all the good, the bad and the ugly from the land often misunderstood, often maligned, and often ignored.