In the last 6 years, there have been typhoons that caused major disasters in our country. 3 stick out in my mind.
>;Milenyo in 2006. Danae, 11 months old, was in the hospital for Pneumonia when it hit.
>;Ondoy in 2009. It was Noelle’s baby dedication the week it hit, and we went to Cagayan de Oro and Camiguin for my cousin’s wedding.
>;Sendong in 2011 was the one that hit Cagayan de Oro hard.
Oh, now Gener, which hit last July, sticks to mind because we endured almost 20 hours of no power. There were floods all around the city too.
But this week, there was no typhoon, no strong winds. Just strong rains due to the southwest monsoon. The floods that have hit our country are terrible. Dams and rivers have overflowed. So many properties, homes, cars and lives destroyed. They have declared no classes for the entire week for some schools. There are so many evacuees who need food, medicines, and toiletries.
Through all this however, it warms my heart to see Filipinos rallying to help those in need. There are relief efforts just about everywhere. The 12,000 inmates of Muntinlupa City Jail gave up their meals to help the evacuees in Muntinlupa, who are already over a thousand in number. I’ve seen pictures and heard stories of kindness on Facebook and on the news — from a banana vendor giving away his bananas to feed those who were stranded, truck drivers giving rides to people so they could get home, policemen carrying the elderly in their arms, soldiers creating a human bridge for people to pass over the flood, to ordinary people braving the floods to rescue strangers. I can’t tell you how proud I am to be a Filipino. Everybody is pitching in, doing their part. I concur, WHERE I’M FROM, EVERYONE’S A HERO.
Even my daughters helped with the relief operations in Victory Alabang on the first day. Danae was so eager to help with bagging goods. People were telling me that she kept working, even when she was already tired. Noelle helped too, by helping me load canned goods into the shopping cart. Ever since they’ve also heard and seen the news, they include “the people in the flood” in their prayers. I am so proud to be the mom of these two.
Yesterday, the youth were there all day to help out. Today, some Alabang homeschoolers did volunteer work. These opportunities to teach our kids GENEROSITY, to VOLUNTEER, to SERVE, to THINK BEYOND THEMSELVES, to help and PRAY for others, to work with a team, to SEE AND BE PART OF LOVE & KINDNESS IN ACTION, are priceless.
Biscuits & other snacks
Phoebe's Sari-Sari Stories 
i teared up reading this.