A sign of survival

The recent natural calamities that ravaged many parts of Cebu island and brought unquantifiable misery to many Cebuano families also affected the trees that I have planted in Barangay Paril here in Cebu City.

- Aven Piramide

Sadness gripped my heart when I discovered that a row of Tugas trees, with trunks already about eight inches in diameter and which I planted along the river, was swallowed by the raging floodwaters spawned by Typhoon Tino. Few other trees including an already tall Ilang-ilang were blown down while others had many branches broken.

I suffered much lesser damage compared to many Cebuanos, some of whose family members lost their lives during the floods. In the days that followed the calamities, I did what limited I could do to restore the vibrancy of my plants. Honestly, I was selfish enough to attend only to my own interest. Philosophically speaking, I was not among the men Plato referred to when he said “the price good men pay for their social indifference is for evil to triumph over them” or words to that effect. Certainly, in the context of social involvement, I was indifferent and I deeply regret.