SHIFTS Reaction Paper

Philippines is home to tough people; brave men, warriors and freedom fighters. However, man is powerless against nature’s wrath.

December 16 marks the anniversary of Sendong (internationally called Washi), a super typhoon that wrecked a million homes and tore apart many families in the Philippines, particularly in Cagayan de Oro city and its neighboring municipalities.  

Those who were fortunate enough to be living in places unaffected by Sendong, including myself,  gathered from the news how Sendong was the deadliest typhoon of 2011, how severe flashfloods washed away homes, how there were 1,268 fatalities. The news, however, does not tell us about the ominous thunderclaps interrupting Christmas parties all over Cagayan de Oro. The news does not tell us about the flash of panic as the water began to seep under doorways and into households. News reports do not even come close to describing the pain of watching your neighbors fight for their survival, your hometown submerged in water, your belongings thrashing in the currents.  All this, I’ve seen in SHIFTS.

SHIFTS is a documentary depicting the actual happenings during the night of Sendong’s landfall, and the painful days that followed.  The documentary showed us the struggle of climbing rooftops to escape the rapids of the flood, and the morning after that fateful night, traveling through muddy streets with bloated bodies of the dead strewn around. It showed us the real struggle of living without water supply, food, electricity and he comforts of a home.

Halfway through the movie, I could not stop my tears from falling. I felt guilty, because during the days of Sendong, I hardly paid any attention to it. Even though I had relatives affected by the storm, I shoved it at the back of my mind where all things dark and sinister go. After seeing the film, I realized how real it actually was. It wasn’t just something you saw on television, it was real.

Fast forward to three years later, to 2014. The streets are clean, but our thoughts are with those precious lives lost. Like I said before, Filipinos are a race of tough people. We may fall down, but we will always get back up. Things happen for a reason, and I believe we had the wind knocked out of us to remind us how much our lungs love the air. Sendong will happen again, if we continue to abuse nature – an eye for an eye. We need to learn from our mistakes, change our ways, and hope for the best.