Submerged

                                      (photo: Malacanang)

Tabang! Tulong! Tulungan n’yo kami!  Eerie sounds and pleas for help can be painful to listen as the video showed nothing but darkness. The audio was hauntingly real as we can imagine kids, elderly persons, women, the sick, pets and other helpless individuals being submerged as the floodwater continued to rise. The social media sites were then filled with screen shots of messages coming from the people who were trapped at their houses asking for help.

We thought that Marikina, Rizal and nearby places were the ones severely affected by Ulysses. We were not prepared when the images of devastation materialized on our phones via the newsfeed. Cagayan Valley, Isabela and other parts near these areas looked gloomy as brown water swallowed their place only showing the helpless roofs and the tips of the surviving trees…

 Emmanuel Tupas of the Philippine Star reported: Ulysses (international name Vamco), the 21st and deadliest cyclone to hit the country this year, tore through the main island of Luzon late Wednesday into early Thursday, just as the country was reeling from Super Typhoon Rolly (Goni), the world’s strongest typhoon of 2020, which killed 25 people and flattened thousands of homes.

Tens of thousands of homes were engulfed by the floods, and as the water receded in areas such as Marikina, homes covered in debris and caked in mud emerged.

The report continued that the Philippine National Police (PNP) reported yesterday that the number of people who died during the onslaught of Typhoon Ulysses has climbed to 53. It is mentioned that 17 of the fatalities were recorded in Cagayan Valley, followed by Calabarzon with 12.

As the sad facts were being presented, there are pictures of the so-called “Filipino humor” posted on the social media sites cropping up. There were those who made their flooded houses as pools where the people are enjoying the dip. Some were shown drinking with their buddies amidst the flood as if everything is normal.

Some politicians and even writers started having commentaries and suggestive inputs the Filipinos are indeed resilient with such natural calamities.

But there are those whose senses are intact. As Typhoon Ulysses caused widespread damage to Luzon last Thursday, many people were demanding a much more efficient government response. Moreover, holding leaders into account for negligence was called for. However, there are some who highlighted the resiliency of the Filipino race (Corcuera, 2020).

Ella Hyacinth Golez from Forum-Dimensions said that “We, Filipinos, are more than our stories of struggles and resiliency. We should be the reminder and the face of accountability. We deserve better.”

Joshua Corcuera of The Daily Guardian wrote: We tend to over-romanticize individual stories of suffering and recovery to the extent that we forget holding into account those who are unresponsive to the plight of such individuals. As a result, the resiliency of the Filipino has been abused. It is important for all of us to call out those in power and force them to do their jobs, and not merely sharing how the people — whom they should serve — are standing up to their suffering. Merely telling such inspiring stories imply that the people are on their own and cannot expect anything from the government.

Accountability is not simply taking the blame when something goes wrong. It’s not a confession. Accountability is about delivering on a commitment. It’s responsibility to an outcome, not just a set of tasks. It’s taking initiative with thoughtful, strategic follow-through (Bregman, 2016).

But we as a people must also understand that we have to learn from our mistakes. We just do not have to accept the fact that “KAYA NATIN” is always applicable to every situation be it tragic or not. There is always a room for us to be able NOT to waste resources and worse, lives.

Personal accountability simply means you choose to take responsibility for your words, actions, and behaviors, and for the outcomes that they produce, managing those outcomes if necessary. And that you do what you tell yourself you will do. In this case, we need to do what is best like: following orders from the local government to evacuate, do something to protect the environment and the like.

A responsible citizen does not just blame the government officials but becomes a good team player with them. Based on the principles developed by Glenn M. Parker in the best-selling Parker Team-Player Survey, this shows in detail the four primary team-member styles in action -- the contributor, the collaborator, the communicator and the challenger. The object is to make the most of each team player's unique perspective. To accomplish this goal, team players must learn to identify their own style and the style of other team members, use the appropriate style to maximum team advantage, and learn to switch their style when it suits the needs of the team.

We need to work hand in hand and be part of the efforts to learn from our past mistakes. Pointing fingers will always be counterproductive and this is high time for us to ascend from being submerged.

Instead of saying “Kaya natin ito,” let our mantra be “Hindi na dapat maulit ito”.