To the TELSTRA Management:
It has been seven days since typhoon Yolanda wreaked havoc
to majority of the provinces in the Visayas region. The super typhoon left so
much damage that up to now, we are still in shock. Yes, we have have survived
the typhoon but we are still far from recovery now that we have seen the
aftermath. We can only hope for the best…I can only hope for the best…
Tomorrow, I will be heading to Bogo City with my mom to help
her look for some of our relatives who are still missing (as of writing). It
has been a week and we have not heard anything from them. Honestly, it feels
like shooting in the dark. We don’t know how or where to start. We don’t know
what to expect. We don’t know how things will go. Despite this ambiguity, we
are hopeful that they have managed to save some food. We are hopeful that they
have managed to find a temporary shelter. We are hopeful that they have managed
to bring some clothes to keep themselves warm. We are hopeful that we will see
them so we can hug them tight and let them know that we are here for them.
I am an active member of RAFI not only because I want to but
because I need to. I pack relief goods hoping that whoever gets the bag will
realize that all the folds and crevices in these bags are testaments of the
number of people who held the bags before they are delivered and that all the
clothes, the canned goods, the packs of noodles, the pack of rice, and the
bottles of water inside them will all help them to get by. Most importantly, I
pack relief goods hoping some of these bags will get to those who need them the
most.
I am sharing this not to get sympathy. I am sharing this not
to get support of any kind either. I am sharing this not to display an act of
nobility. I am sharing this only because I want everyone to realize that we are
all LUCKY to be alive.
Come to think of it, things could have gone worse. Parents
and kids all drowned. Properties destroyed. Corpses scattered all over. We
could have died. Yet, we are here – alive and breathing. God spared us despite
our shortcomings. He saved us despite our doubts. He protected us despite our
sins….
THE TRUTH: WE ARE ALL HERE FOR A REASON. Although, the path
to finding the purpose of our life is filled with uncertainty, it all begins
with a single step… And that step begins when we start doing something not for
ourselves… but for others.
SO WHAT HAVE WE DONE
LATELY TO HELP OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS?
I am humbly asking our Telstra Management to use the funds
for relief packing operations, stress debriefing, or Christmas party with the
typhoon victims instead of holding an anniversary party.
Although, at the end of the day, it is still up to the
management as to how they are going to use the funds but holding a party,
needless to say, is inappropriate at this point.
We can’t celebrate the milestone of the account while some
of our colleagues are mourning. We can’t have fun while some of the employees
are crying over their losses. We can’t enjoy fancy food and drinks when our
countrymen have been deprived of food and water.
We just can’t be blatantly insensitive. We just cant.
