<font color='black' size='2' face='arial'><b style="font-size: small;">Peoples Power to the
quick</b><br>
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<div class="MsoNormal">It has almost been a month since Typhoon Yolanda's (Haiyan) strong
and unprecedented belch spewed over the central islands of the Philippine
archipelago. Having invested presence
and energy on the affected area two decades ago, I was quick to develop empathy
to the aftermath's innocent suffering, but disciplined enough to distance
myself emotionally from the disaster. Visibly,
whatever tangible accomplishments we might have contributed before were wiped
out, but I was confident that the human spirit we shared with folks stayed
around longer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal"> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">It is Peoples Power II, not in protest against the likes of
a Ferdinand Marcos, or a seemingly uncomfortable President Benigno Noynoy
Aquino, but in the building of something new from the old, now obliterated for
good. That is the unmistakable lesson we
hear from friends and associates in the region who have buckled up and rolled
up their sleeves to proceed with the building process.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal"> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">I am reminded of the time I was a resident community worker in
the village of Sudtonggan, Basak, Lapu-Lapu City on Mactan Island in Cebu
Province, a project demonstration site. While my wife and I were facilitating a
community replication consult at the other end of the island, our staff
residence in the middle of the coral-limestone studded village burned down. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal"> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">There were no fatal casualties but our two daughters, along with
children of other staff members, ran out into safety practically naked since
sleeping in the tropical humid atmosphere did not require pajamas, or much of
anything else. I recall a couple of
village homes taking their children's Sunday clothes, offering them for our
children's use. I lost two items of
commercial value: an Italian hand made pair of comfortable loafers, and an old
Cartier watch, gifts from a previous life style.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal"> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">What a liberating incident the conflagration was for not
only did I no longer had to worry about the meager wealth I owned, I was also a
grateful recipient of the care and compassion of those I had come to serve and labor
with. Suddenly our roles were
reversed. It was at once a humbling and freedom-boosting
occasion.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal"> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">Something of this nature occupied my mind as I got news from
colleagues across the Visayas, and as reports from the devastated areas began
to filter out into the world's press. I
have grown rather confident through the years in the resiliency of the
world-wise street-smart Pinoy with whom I identify with, along with many
Filipinos in diaspora around the world from whose ranks some emerged, and I was
seeing the traits of practical realism on display in the ruins of Tacloban.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal"> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">Consider China's rude awakening from the viciousness of
international media attack on what was considered a paltry contribution to
humanitarian aid (at the time, China herself suffered the onslaught of Haiyan
in its southern flank), particularly from American news services and their
international outlets. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal"> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">China's response requires no defense. I am an American of Philippine descent
teaching English in China's northeast in Manchuria so I bridge the three
countries involved. To help understand
contemporary China, I was in Ya-an in Sichuan this summer where a 2008 quake devastated
the area eliciting an outpouring of world wide aid, but the replay in 2012 had
the locals saying, "thanks, but no, thanks", to offers of financial
aid from the international community.
They resolved to rebuild their communities from the ground up themselves
with national assistance. Not without
blemish, we note. Internal fund-raising
included fake claims and luxuriant expenditures from those who heeded their
greed at the expense of a needful mass.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal"> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">When a Pinay in Leyte-Samar was asked what she thought of
China's meager relief response, she said, "Oh, we do not think in terms of
how much; to anything offered, we say, <i>salamat</i>
(thank you)". The first Chinese volunteers
who landed to deliver aid heard typhoon victims egg them on with the Zhongwen "<i>kuai, kuai, kuai" </i>(quick, quick,
quick)<i> </i>to get them where they were
needed. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal"> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">Quietly, but quickly, a flotilla of 50 U.S. Naval vessels
and more than 10,000 personnel delivered relief food and water by sea, land,
and air. A critic of military imperial
presence and pretentions in the region, I genuinely doff my hat to the organized
grunts and fliers who delivered needed goods. We can get our drone technology to serve weather
forecasting, and military discipline to organize humanitarian efforts<i>,</i> and I reserve the option to execute my
ROTC hand salute each time I see Old Glory flying over military equipment and
personnel!</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">Pinoy Peoples Power is a phenomenon around the world, aped
in the gathered crowd of Arab Spring to even the clashing but dancing Red and Yellow
Thais who leave on their own volition after occupying public buildings.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal"> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">Peoples Power in the reconstruction of a new Samar-Leyte (the
resort island of Guiuan, Eastern Samar is already high profile) is the Pinoy's
agenda, harnessing the native powers of <i>balikatan
</i>and <i>bayanihan,</i> forgiving but
managing the rapacious propertied class and the opportunistic looters,<i> </i>towards a resilient and creative
Pinoylandia! And do so, in the new but now
widely used term in a normally laidback land: <i>kuai, kuai, kuai!</i></div>
<br>
<div style="clear:both">Jaime Vergara<br>
<a href="mailto:pinoypanda2031@aol.com">pinoypanda2031@aol.com</a><br>
<div><i>yesterday, appreciate; tomorrow, anticipate; today. participate. In all, celebrate!</i></div>
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