I was on the first plane out this afternoon from Hong Kong to Manila (after a very long night– as the flights the previous night were all cancelled due to the floods. More on this soon, but in the end, PAL came through and for that, I’m extremely grateful). 
I would’ve said I had a great time in Hong Kong except for these 2 incidents: 1. The flooding all over the Philippines, which really dampened an otherwise wonderful trip, 2. Losing my voice– because I had abused my body while in HK. It was a serious food trip, and I had indulged in extremely spicy food daily for the whole duration of the trip (because I loooove spicy food). So now, my acid reflux is back with a vengeance and it has “cooked” my vocal tube. *I will get this checked to confirm if acid reflux is really the culprit of my voice loss*
Anyway, tired as I am from that long, almost sleepless night, I am sharing photos of Manila which I took today from a few thousand feet above. To say that I was disturbed with what I saw, is an understatement. I was more than disturbed. I cannot believe THIS happened overnight. Everyone on the plane was gasping in disbelief at what they saw.
Fields of green replaced by pools of brown. 
A few houses underwater
Disturbing. The water was really, really muddy, and the banks were gone. 
Tight shot
I feel so bad for the squatters who live by the raging water.
Flood everywhere! All these streets have become extensions of the muddy river
Makes you want to rethink the way you live, really. Here we are, having the luxury to indulge while they, are left with no options. 😦
Submerged blocks of land with houses… it’s really an awful sight 😦 
Everywhere you look, it’s flood water you see.
Stagnant flood water will eventually be the breeding ground for insects and bacteria. Dengue, diarrhea… Oh God 😦 I never thought I’d see these up close with my very own eyes 😦
I saw the “Ynares Center” sign from a few thousand feet aboveground, so I knew we were flying over Antipolo. Incidentally if you want to donate and are in that area, you can send your donations to Ynares Center. They need blankets, milk, noodles, canned goods, bottled water, and old clothes.
Is this a mine/ quarry? Or was?
Huge pool of water collected. It was an empty tract of land from what I can see.
This was what the waters looked like from the ground (Ortigas Ave extension to Cainta)
(last photo from Inquirer.net)
Our wonderful girls of
Accessory Lab are also victims of Ondoy 😦 My friend and partner,
Carmen of
8 and a Half, had her whole house flooded in (water above the head). Luckily though, the water didn’t reach the 2nd floor of their home. Unfortunately though, she lost their cars to the flood. 😦 The worst thing was, the creek in their village overflowed, drowning a few people as a result. The flood really spared no one…
Remember the age- old adage “Save a penny for a rainy day?” It’s good to have that extra cash lying around this time. Especially if you’re a victim of the flood 😦 *Sigh*… So sad 😦
On a related note, Rea of Moms for Moms has requested money from our Fabella fund (I have spoken to some of our donors about this) to channel Php 7,000 cash to the orphanage in Tondo. She needed the cash tonight to add to her pledge by buying more diapers and milk to give to the children who were taken into the orphanage as refuge because of the flooding. They are going to the orphanage first thing tomorrow morning to start distribution as she was told the sisters were in need of supplies for the children.
Please everyone, if you have not donated to any charity in the past, I think now’s a good time to give something back– you’ll know people in your community who are in dire need of help and even if you don’t donate money, I’m sure any kind of help you can offer (volunteer your time, give them canned goods, clean clothes etc…) will be very well- appreciated. God bless you all, and God bless our country in this current crisis.
Politicians, now is the time to step up to the plate– please HELP the people! Like, really HELP the people! Dig into pork barrel funds from the government (taxpayers money) and please help the flood victims who lost everything. Set aside those political ambitions/ election/ PR opportunities *kill the photo ops PUHLEASE* right now or you’ll only end up leaving a bad taste in everyone’s mouth. *Saying it like it is, sorry. I always refused to make any political comments or even go near that route, but at critical times like these, the politicians are really the ones we need for help in the end because they are the ones with “access”*
P.S. Thank you so much ZSB and the URC team! Special thanks to JulieP, RamonP + SheilaP.
ONDOY RELIEF DRIVE UPDATE: Donations in kind like instant noodles, canned goods, formula milk, blankets and clothes, are urgently needed. You may drop them off either at the INQUIRER office at 1098 Chino Roces Ave. corner Mascardo and Yague Streets, Makati City, or to any of INQ’s classified ads office, or to any MC DONALD’S branch within Metro Manila
x
Mrs. T
I would’ve said I had a great time in Hong Kong except for these 2 incidents: 1. The flooding all over the Philippines, which really dampened an otherwise wonderful trip, 2. Losing my voice– because I had abused my body while in HK. It was a serious food trip, and I had indulged in extremely spicy food daily for the whole duration of the trip (because I loooove spicy food). So now, my acid reflux is back with a vengeance and it has “cooked” my vocal tube. *I will get this checked to confirm if acid reflux is really the culprit of my voice loss*
Fields of green replaced by pools of brown. 
A few houses underwater
I feel so bad for the squatters who live by the raging water.
Stagnant flood water will eventually be the breeding ground for insects and bacteria. Dengue, diarrhea… Oh God 😦 I never thought I’d see these up close with my very own eyes 😦
I saw the “Ynares Center” sign from a few thousand feet aboveground, so I knew we were flying over Antipolo. Incidentally if you want to donate and are in that area, you can send your donations to Ynares Center. They need blankets, milk, noodles, canned goods, bottled water, and old clothes.
(last photo from Inquirer.net)
tresormakati 