Went to Marikina yesterday with my wifey to visit my siblings-in-law. It's been like too weeks or so since Typhoon Ondoy's onslaught. That time, most of the Marikina got flooded really bad. Water went up as high as 2 stories. The victims took refuge in nearby unaffected schools turned relief centers. After the flood, knee-deep mud was left behind. So we went to the city thinking that my in-laws were in the worst condition imaginable.
When we got there, it did look bad, but the place was lively. the mud was still everywhere, but everyone was cleaning and they were all wearing boots. Where did they get the boots? How could they even afford it in the first place? Every store in the market place was doing bussiness like nothing happened. The people buying groceries were also a plenty. Sure, the streets look awfully muddy, and the houses and builings still had residues tracing the walls up to the second floor. I can't imagine what I'd do If my home flooded.
It seems that a certain rich chinese philantrophist donated all those boots and offered 400 pesos per day wages to anyone willing to help the clean-up effort. The Victims of the flood were more than glad to be paid for cleaning up their own neighborhood. most people there were unemploed in the first place, so in a sense they have more money now than they had before. Then there's the free clothes and free food from the overflowing relief goods given away everyday. That scene was just so so different from what the news says on TV. Not mention the ones that do have jobs and were qualified for calimity loans up to php 30,000. Another plus is that everyone in that area would be given free housing and relocated to Sta. Rosa Laguna! Gee, talk about the pot of gold at the end of the raibow after the rain. >_<:
Anyway, instead of helping out the supposedly unfortunate victims of in Marikina, we were instead treated to an eat all you can feast of Beef Caldereta, cakes, and leche flan, by our in-laws.
How cool or uncool is that?!
