Calamity to calamity, election to election

As I write this, PAGASA is alerting the nation about a tropical cyclone (international name: Fung-Wong) currently at about 1,500 kilometers east of northeastern Mindanao or 1,470 kilometers east of eastern Visayas.

- 

In its latest advisory, PAGASA says Fung-Wong is forecast to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility by midnight Friday or early morning Saturday.

Once inside the PAR, it will be named “Uwan.”

PAGASA says landfall may happen on Nov. 10 over Northern or Central Luzon. In terms of intensity, it is forecast to rapidly intensify and may reach supertyphoon category Nov. 8 evening or Nov. 9 morning. It may also make landfall at or near its peak lifetime intensity of 195 kilometers per hour.

The impending arrival of this new cyclone comes soon after “Tino” left a trail of death and destruction in Leyte, Bohol, Cebu, Negros and Palawan. More than a hundred have reportedly died in Cebu alone. The magnitude and scale of this calamity is so great that President Marcos placed the entire country under a state of calamity.

A lot of attention, all well-deserved, is being given to Cebu. But we must widen our view and look beyond Cebu, especially areas where the destruction is underreported or even unreported.

One of these areas is Palawan where the Roman Catholic apostolic vicariate of Taytay is calling for help for typhoon-struck communities and even church buildings.