Many have described northern Philippines as ‘God-forsaken’ – cruel landscapes marked by a prolonged dry season and by generally rocky and sandy soil. Ilocos Sur, for instance, straddles the South China Sea on one side and the Cordilleras on the other – a narrow, dry strip of land.       

Yet, we are a proud lot – we rarely ask for help and most of the time, we make do with what we have.  Like @marocharim’s uncles and nephews, our ascendants learned to cultivate the forbidding terrain and in so doing, sociologists theorized, also led their lives along these three imperative values: ‘hardiness, frugality, and diligence’.           

The past week, Typhoon Pepeng has – and still is – severely tested the people of Northern Luzon.  As soon as the rains stopped, we are beginning to realize the extent of destruction to both life and property.  We are being given footages from Cagayan Valley, Baguio City, Benguet, and Pangasinan.  To this hour, ABS-CBN’s Sagip Kapamilya reports that it was able to reach La Union just now.  We have yet see what has happened to our brothers and sisters from the other provinces. 

 And we are no Job. 

 Mitch Albom wrote this one line in his ‘Tuesdays with Morrie’: “I think…God overdid it.”  May I second @marocharim’s plea in his posts? Pangaasi yo, apo. The North needs your help.

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