Clubbers were blaming one patron who they said was doing “pull ups” on a water pipe, causing it to burst.
A volunteer rescuer discovered and released six caged dogs that had been left behind when their owners evacuated due...
All levels of school opened several weeks ago. Although we heard moans and groans about traffic, I didn’t see anything in the news that told of catastrophic problems on the road. That is, until it started raining. The sudden downpour never fails to cause flooding, and people were stranded in knee-deep water or worse.
Four days of flooding in Metro Manila could not deter the 100 matrons who trooped to Rustan’s Makati, dressed to the hilt for Criselda Lontok’s Holiday Collection last Friday.
I used to love the rainy season. I say “used to,” because after the horrors of the past few floods, it would seem insensitive to say I still do. But I have so many memories of typhoon seasons.
Last week’s floods, which left over 60 dead and some 384,000 people in evacuation centers, became our collective trauma.
Here is a bit of trivia. Have you ever wondered where the word “bagyo” comes from? It comes from the name of one of our most beloved local vacation spots, Baguio.
Patricia “Shaan” Bermudez-Hizon was very involved in the relief efforts during Ondoy in 2009. This time, when the flooding started, Shaan jumped to action again. “I knew I didn't want to just take a back seat. I wanted to help those in need and also help the ones who wanted to help.”
Model, athlete, TV host Marc Nelson had a flight to catch last Tuesday. But the flood made it impossible for him to reach the airport so he stayed put.
The Mindanao floods and their rising death toll (957 as of this writing) and their terrible damage to property and resources may have dampened the Christmas cheer. But paradoxically, it is compelling people to return to the simplicity of Christmas and elicited another form of downpour—a downpour of charity and giving.
