24/07/2025
๐๐๐๐๐๐ | ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ ๐
By Lorenzo Ramirez
The words "Walang Pasok!" scream out as a small celebration for most. But as we light up with joy and comfort, others face the wrath of the stormโuncertain of what comes next.
Deep down we really know the reason behind the suspension. We are aware that the skies pour relentlessly somewhere, that some areas are flooded as of the moment, and that families are packing up and heading towards evacuation centers. This shows that it's not that we don't careโwe've gotten comfortable from being spared.
The severe tropical storm Wipha (formerly Crising) and the intensifying tropical storm Dante didn't just cancel classesโit laid bare the silent divide. For most, it was the rest and comfort that was awaited. For others, chaos. While a part of the country was enjoying as they lay in warmth and stillness, another faced utmost risk and fear, with their lives and homes falling apart.
This isn't to put blame and say we shouldn't rest. A breath is never wrong. But it is also important that we recognize that our present comfort exists in quiet contrast to those like farmers whose livelihood is struggling to get by the storm with โฑ134 million in agricultural damage and losses in just 7 regions across the country.
Though we are far from the danger, not directly hit, we should still face this crisis as one. Our screens deliver the news fast. We encounter images of flooded roads, people pushing through murky knee-deep waters, and even numbers reaching 1.2 million people affected across the regions, according to NDRRMC. Yet, we scroll past, overlook, and proceed on celebrating the break. Not rooted out of cruelty, but arguably it's easier to turn our heads away from this than to carry the weight of something out of our control.
No doubt it is never wrong that we are just purely being grateful for the break. What's missing is that we tend to forget to acknowledge the reason it was granted. Such times of suspension should not solely be spent on sleeping in and relaxation but also be a time to reflectโwho is paying the price of our comfort?
Empathy doesn't need to be loud and grand. It can be as small as a quiet prayer.
The next time we hear "Walang Pasok!", we can uproot both truths of our circumstancesโthe joy of rest and the sorrow dealt along. We remember loss in our moment of ease, and in that sense, we give embrace.
