I remembered that early morning of December 17 around 12:30 am when the people in the boarding house where I am staying shouted in panic. I was awakened by their panicking voices. My heart was beating faster because of the anxiety that their voices brought. I was even more anxious when I can’t see anything because the electricity went out.
When I walked outside my room, boarders from the underground floor were bringing their stuffs upstairs. There I realized that the water from the nearby river overflowed. The water raised rapidly that in less than an hour the water reached the roof of the building on the lower portion of the residential compound.
That happening was really overwhelming. I heard voices crying for help on the other side of the river – at Isla de Oro. I can see through from the second floor of our building that the houses across the river were already submerged by water and the water current was very strong.
The water finally subsided on the morning. The aftermath of the typhoon was a surprise to my eyes. I saw that kind of scene before on TV but the one I saw that morning was for real.
I was even shocked upon learning that there are hundreds who were killed and several were carried by the flood to Camiguin Island. A week later, the news reported that there were already thousands of corpses found both in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City. There were still numerous people that until now are missing and have no hope to be found.
I was moved by the stories of the victims who did not only lose their material possessions but also their loved ones. There were others who said that they were the only one who survived in their family.
It is sad to witness this kind of disaster. The stories of the victims can squeeze hearts. But it is also inspiring that people all over the country and even from other parts of the world sympathized with the victims of the disaster and sent their assistance in different means.
In this kind of circumstance, it is overwhelming to know that people show the spirit of concern, unity and cooperation.
I was just thankful that the people who lived on the place where we did our clean-up were okay though they lost some of their material things. What are important are their lives. During the attack of the typhoon, people forget their material stuffs in order to rescue themselves. Those who tried to save some of their possessions lost their lives.
Sendong made a history in this city. Thousands were killed. It was a great surprise for this city.
Seeing the damage made me reflect on some natural phenomenon that can greatly affect a society.
The only thing that I can do now is to pray for hope for the surviving victims and that they may continue to live their lives with great hope despite of the loss of properties and loved ones.

abscbnnews:

A 15-minute recess is ongoing.

Before the recess, the impeachment court disputed whether Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Kim Henares should be allowed to testify, because Senators said presentation of financial documents should be enough. 

Presiding officer Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile eventually allowed Henares to testify.

Atty. Serafin Cuevas took center stage for the defense, and Atty. Arthur Lim (private prosecutor) spoke for the prosecution. Senator-Judge Miriam Defensor Santiago stole the limelight for a while early in the trial, demanding respect from the defense and prosecutors for Senator-Judges who wish to speak.

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Let’s sympathize the victims of Typhoon Sendong. Let’s send them assistance in any means.