supermarionism

SUPER Typhoon Yolanda showed us two types of images. One featured the massive destruction the storm left behind, the other showed the strength and the resilience of its survivors.
For every house washed away, there was a father gathering scraps to build his family a new home. For every picture of hunger and death, we also saw volunteers and soldiers saving and rebuilding lives.
Traditional and social media also offered inspiring stories that gave us something to smile about even in these trying times.
One such story tells of a young boy in an evacuation center in Tacloban who cared for an even smaller child, who was separated from her family during the typhoon.
Pictures showed how community members - who just lost their homes, loved ones, and livelihood – still have it within themselves to share with strangers whatever little they have. In Eastern Samar, residents reportedly gave tokens to soldiers who came to bring them aid.
Compassion was displayed by Filipinos all over the nation and the world. Some donated money or clothes. Some helped in packing and delivering the goods. Doctors and nurses also trooped to the affected areas to treat patients for free.
We have always been known to be fighters. And once again, in the face of tragedy, we showed what we are made of as a people. We showed the world our time-honored values in action.
This November, we are actually observing “Filipino Values Month,” a celebration which was observed starting the time of former President Fidel V. Ramos to “create moral awakening and national consciousness on human values that are unique, genuine and positively Filipino.”
Filipino Values Month was part of a moral recovery program that aimed to instill and reinforce values and ideals that are pro-God, pro-people, pro-country, and pro-nature. The goal was to mobilize all Filipinos to help in nation-building through use of these values in our day-to-day lives.
Some of the values Filipinos are known for are love and fear of God, patriotism, respect for elder, close family ties, hospitality, generosity, and strong regard for honor and dignity.
These values and other Filipino traits have allowed us to weather many storms and we can also use these to move forward from Yolanda.
The generosity and hospitality of people will enable our affected countrymen to start anew. This can be done through lending or giving of money to be used to build shelters and start livelihoods. Help can also be done through supporting children’s education or providing jobs to their parents.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, for its part, gave regulatory relief to all types of banks in affected areas. The banking community very generously donated cash and in kind to ravaged areas.
Frugality or thriftiness – a value commonly associated with our kababayans in the North – is also needed at this time. There should be discipline in spending money, with the needs prioritized over the wants of the family or individual.
Other Filipino values that are very relevant now are patience and hard work. All over the world, we are known for our skillful and reliable workers, who always do their best in every task given to them.
Another value that comes to mind is resourcefulness or being "maparaan." Pinoys are known for being able to make most with what they have and what they can get from their surroundings, just like the fishermen of Tanauan, Leyte. After losing their boats, they have turned salvaged refrigerators into sea vessels so that they can immediately return to fishing.
Over and over, we have shown the world how to deal with challenges head on, by living out the values we learned from our parents and their parents. These Filipino values should be practiced not only in times of disaster or trouble. These values should be part of our way of life, and be seen, yes, beyond November.