01/10/2025
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ | ๐๐๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐?
The ground had already shaken before sunrise, and students had already felt the tremor at home; families had already asked the same question:
๐๐จ ๐๐ฉ ๐จ๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ค ๐ฉ๐ค ๐จ๐๐๐ค๐ค๐ก?
And yet, the announcement cameโ
not before, but only at 8 a.m.
By then, many had already stepped onto campus, already entered classrooms, already traveled far just to be told that classes were suspended after all.
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ค๐๐๐ฉ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ ๐ฌ๐๐๐, ๐ข๐ญ ๐จ๐ง๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ค ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐ก๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐๐ค๐๐ง.
What kind of protection arrives only after danger has passed? What kind of foresight calls itself prepared yet always speaks too late? An earthquake does not wait for office hours. It does not give time for hesitation.
๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ง๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ง ๐ข๐ง๐๐จ๐ง๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ข๐๐ง๐๐, ๐ข๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ฌ.
This has become the unspoken ritual in the Philippines: students rise early, put on their uniforms, brave the mud and the floods, only to find out, hours later, sometimes already seated in classrooms, that classes are suspended. By then, the danger is not just outside the gate; it is with them, inside the campus.
๐๐ง๐ง๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ง๐ข๐๐ฅ. ๐๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ. They should not trickle out like afterthoughts on social media feeds while students wade through crumbling walls.
๐๐จ ๐ข๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฅ๐ฒ. ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ซ๐, ๐ข๐ง ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐๐ญ๐ฒ, ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐๐ฅ๐
In a country where calamities are no strangers but constant visitors, ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐๐ญ, ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง. Students are not pawns to be risked in the name of routine. No lesson, no attendance record, no school day is worth more than a single life.
๐๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ฒ ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐. Let safety be the priority before the first raindrop falls, before the first tremor strikes.
๐๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐ข๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ ๐๐ฅ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐ญ๐จ๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐, ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ, ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐๐๐ญ.
By: John Kient Francisco
