First of all, thank you. I hope you keep that interest in you to reach the end of this letter. Yes, this is a letter of humble request for everyone, for all the citizens of Philippines, for all the witnesses of the injury, and for all the victims of the catastrophe.

I would like everyone to ponder on each day we allow ourselves to corrupt our environment, even in the slightest manner that we know. Do you remember throwing a little piece of candy wrapper or any trash in the street? Do you remember dumping your garbage in any river or stream that is nearby your homes?  If yes, please do not be ashamed of admitting that we have once or many times committed a crime.

The tragedy the Filipinos suffered under the control of typhoon Ondoy is blatant evidence that we, humans, cannot ever manipulate nature. We can only be responsible of protecting it and ourselves. It does not take a scholastic degree to know the proper ways of treating our environment; much more of knowing that tossing around pieces of trash along the road and around our community is an offense.

This is what the wise always say:  small things can create big things. And in the sense of the flooding tragedy, each time we toss little trashes in the street, we are making a garbage collection that will be lodged in any drainage system elsewhere when they are washed away. What more if there were thousands of people in the street who also have the habit of throwing trashes anywhere? It is like a bank’s time deposit. In each time we throw, we are sowing an important credit that can be earned when the right time comes.  It is just unfortunate that when it comes it is tragedy that we earn.

They say it is climate change. It is. But have we thought that it may also be a punishment to our crime; a consequence to the result of our own doing. What is a little time of waiting while walking or in the car before throwing those trashes in proper places? What is a little effort of tucking those wrappers in your pockets or bags for a moment before stashing them away in the garbage cans along the road or in our homes? What is saying no to too much plastic bag in fast foods when they give us the foods we order? We can always do things that are easy. We can bring things without the use of too much plastic. With that, we can generate lesser garbage, the lesser we also throw anywhere.

This is a letter of humble request. A request for a practical reason of being responsible. For a simple deed of practicing discipline. For a small thing benefitting the welfare of many. For a humane act protecting our nature and ourselves. May this tragedy leave a mark in hearts and minds and serve a purpose in teaching us a lesson.

Let us be thoughtful of Ondoy’s victims. Let us be thoughtful of our children, of our families, of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Let us share our wisdom and our hearts to others who need. And by all these, we can also help.

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Pictures are from these sites:

http://ashcastro.multiply.com/photos/album/501/TYPHOON_ONDOY

http://www.annalyn.net/2009/09/27/stark-images-of-storm-ondoy-the-morning-after/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rembcc/3957566392/

http://reyanehaven.blogspot.com/2009/09/after-typhoon-ondoy-pictures.html

Thank you!